'Hyundai Motor' obtained US patents for walking vehicles
'Hyundai Motor' Group has obtained
patents for walking vehicles in the US, taking the next step in making
futuristic four-legged cars a reality.
According to the 'US Patent and
Trademark Office' on Tuesday, two patent applications for walking vehicles were
published under the names of both 'Hyundai' and 'Kia' on July 6, about 19
months after the two companies filed for the patents on Dec. 31, 2021.
The patents protect the technologies
of Hyundai’s concept car, 'Elevate', an electric vehicle that can transition
between driving on flat surfaces with wheels and walking over the most
treacherous terrains with robotic legs.
'Hyundai Motor' showcased a small
prototype of 'Elevate' for the first time at the 'Consumer Electronics Show' in
2019. With its ability to mimic both mammalian and reptilian gaits, 'Hyundai
Motor' touted Elevate’s capacity to play a multi-purpose role in exploration,
construction and disaster relief where fully accessible roads are not
available.
“Through the patent registration,
(Hyundai Motor Group) intends to become a pioneer in the market for specialized
robot mobility that can navigate through unusual terrains.”
When a tsunami or earthquake hits,
'Elevate' can drive to the scene and climb right over flood debris or crumbled
concrete.
According to 'Hyundai', 'Elevate' is
capable of climbing a 1.5-meter wall, stepping over a 1.5 meters gap and
navigating through different terrains at an average speed of 5 kilometers per
hour while maintaining its main body and passenger level. The company said the
vehicle could drive at high speeds just like any other car on the road when the
robotic legs are folded away and the wheels begin rolling.
'Hyundai' also unveiled the concept model of ‘Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot’, 'TIGER', a multi-purpose vehicle that has wheels on robotic legs in a similar to 'Elevate'. The biggest difference between ‘Elevate’ and ‘TIGER’ is that the former can carry passengers and the latter is an unmanned machine.
