Hyundai Reveals 'Tiger' Walking Car Concept At CES

Hyundai Motors has revealed a new version of its four-legged “walking car” concept called "Tiger" that explores the possibility of using autonomous vehicles to negotiate challenging terrain at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, US.

The Ultimate Mobility Vehicle (UMW) has the ability to walk and it is designed to be used by rescue services in emergencies such as natural disasters. 

Hyundai says it showcases technology that will be able to “take people where no vehicle has been before”.

The ‘Tiger’ as it is called is the firm’s second ultimate mobility vehicle (UMV) concept, following in the footsteps of 2019’s four-legged Elevate emergency response vehicle. Its wheels are joined to its modular platform via unique jointed legs, which offer significantly raised ride height and 360deg directional control. 

The Tiger is the result of a collaboration between Hyundai Motor Group’s New Horizons Studio in California and software company Autodesk. The two firms worked together to create a “lightweight but incredibly strong structure”, with an innovative carbon fiber composite additive printing process used for elements of the chassis and legs.

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The electric vehicle operates like a conventional four-wheel-drive with its legs retracted, but can extend to its full height when faced with an obstruction,

It has the ability to extend each of its four legs to varying lengths, the Tiger can keep any payload completely level, regardless of its angle of attack.

Hyundai said the vehicle can be delivered to its destination by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and its fully electric powertrain charged en route. 

Head of the New Horizons Studio, John Such, said “Vehicles like Tiger, and the technologies underpinning it, give us an opportunity to push our imaginations. 

“We are constantly looking at ways to rethink vehicle design and development and redefine the future of transportation and mobility.”

Although such a vehicle is unlikely to reach production in the near future, its development is likely to have an impact on mobility-focused ‘purpose-built vehicles’ from Hyundai and Kia, the first of which is set to arrive in 2022 using a platform from a partner company.