Korean manufacturer Hyundai has unveiled "the Ultimate Mobility Vehicle" (UMV) – a concept light vehicle with robotic legs capable of walking, driving….even climbing over extreme terrain and obstacles.
The Elevate, unveiled at the CES 2019 consumer electronics show in the United States, was designed to meet the need for transport in the wake of a natural disaster.
Hyundai says it's the first-ever vehicle with moveable legs – blending technologies found in electric vehicles and in robots to cope with obstacles and terrain "beyond the limitations of even the most capable offroad vehicle."
The Elevate concept is based on a modular EV platform – capable of swapping different bodies to meet specific needs.
Hyundai says that the robotic legs have five degrees of freedom, plus wheel hub propulsion motors enabled by the latest in electric actuator technology. This design is uniquely capable of both mammalian and reptilian walking gaits, allowing it to move in any direction.
In drive mode, the legs fold up and are stowed and power to the joints is cut. The use of an integrated passive suspension system maximises battery efficiency, allowing the UMV to drive at highway speeds.
It can keep the body – and its passengers or cargo – level, even while climbing a 1.5 metre wall, stepping over a 1.5m gap or achieving a 4.5m track width.
The company says that the combination of wheeled motion with articulating legs "provides a new paradigm of mobility, by enabling faster walking speeds, unique dynamic driving postures and torsional control at the end of each leg."
John Suh, vice president and head of CRADLE – Hyundai's open innovation business – says that the technology in the Elevate means that potential applications go "well beyond emergency situations…. The possibilities are limitless."
Hyundai has been working with US product innovation studio Sundberg-Ferar on the concept for the past three years – the studio's design manager, David Byron, describing it as having the ability to "redefine our perception of vehicular freedom….. This is the future of vehicular mobility."
Suh says that Elevate is part of various Hyundai "last mile" technologies and solutions – "and it also has Last-100 Feet capability too."