Video: Hyundai unleashes TIGER
Hyundai’s first crewless ultimate mobility vehicle (UMV) concept TIGER, which stands for transforming intelligent ground excursion robot, can walk or drive over difficult terrain.
TIGER is intended to carry payloads over remote and otherwise inaccessible areas and is designed to operate as a four-wheel drive vehicle or a four-legged walking machine.
It’s being developed by Hyundai Motor Group’s New Horizons Studio in California which works on multiple technologies for innovative vehicle platforms, in partnership with engineering design software company Autodesk and external concept design experts Sundberg-Ferar.
TIGER is the company’s second UMV (remember Elevate) and the first designed to be crewless.
“Vehicles like TIGER, and the technologies underpinning it, give us an opportunity to push our imaginations,” New Horizons Studio head Dr John Suh says.
“We are constantly looking at ways to rethink vehicle design and development and re-define the future of transportation and mobility.”
TIGER is designed to function as a mobile scientific exploration platform in extreme, remote locations. Based on a modular platform architecture, its features include a sophisticated leg and wheel locomotion system, 360-degree directional control, and a range of sensors for remote observation.
It is also intended to connect to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which can fully charge TIGER and deliver it to inaccessible locations.
TIGER can even deliver aid packages in emergency situations, able to keep payloads more level than a typical ground vehicle.
The first version of TIGER is X-1 (X stands for experimental) and brings together a wide-range of technological and design expertise.
The legs and some chassis elements were created using carbon fibre composite additive printing.
“TIGER is a modular platform design allowing different bodies to be attached to the chassis for unique applications such as cargo delivery or surveillance in locations not suitable for humans,” Sundberg-Ferar design and innovation strategy manager David Byron says.
New Horizons Studio technologies include wheel-leg locomotion, high-performance materials and structures, high-performance power systems, chassis and body systems, virtual development and evaluation systems, and human-centred design and systems.
Each of these represents significant technical progress that can be applied to any vehicle and will speed the development of advanced mobility solutions, furthering Hyundai’s vision to shape the future of mobility.
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