South Korean automaker Hyundai on Monday presented a four-legged, mid-car, half-robot vehicle that can not only roll, but also walk and crawl for use on steep terrain during rescue missions. for example.
“What if a car designed with robotics could really save lives in a natural disaster? Said John Suh, the man behind the group’s futuristic projects, during a press presentation on the eve of the official opening of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, California. Nevada.
Articulated legs with wheels
With its articulated “legs”, the Elevate can “climb a one-and-a-half-meter-high wall, while keeping the passengers or the wounded completely horizontal,” said David Byron of Sundberg’s design firm. -Ferar (who works with Hyundai on this concept), presenting on stage an animated model.
According to the car manufacturer, this is the “first vehicle with articulated legs”.
At the end of the four retractable legs of the electric robotic car are wheels allowing the vehicle to roll in a traditional way if needed, Byron added.
In the city or on the moon
The Elevate could be used as an ambulance to pick up and transport injured people on rough terrain. Another possible use (via Elevate taxis) is to pick up people with reduced mobility right on the landing of their home, and in complete safety.
This vehicle, which looks like a lunar machine, could also be used to explore the Moon or Mars, said the project leaders.
For AutoPacific auto consultant Daniel Hall, the concept is “interesting” because even though, for example, “the military is already using robots to [search for] bombs,” “the fact that climbing [obstacles] in certain situations can be helpful. ”
For Hyundai, it’s all about demonstrating that, like all car manufacturers, they are present in the innovative aspects of mobility, Hall also explained.
