Hyundai creates division for walking robots and Transformer-like mobility vehicles
The Korean automaker will dip its toes in the field of freaky-looking robots.
These are freaky.
Remember the Hyundai Elevate concept from CES 2019? Probably not because so much happens at CES, it's hard to keep track of the real breakthroughs, worthy attention-grabbers and the fluff. Well, we should definitely pay a little more attention to Hyundai and its Elevate concept because the Korean automaker announced a new division on Tuesday devoted to "ultimate mobility vehicles."
If the Elevate concept defines what an "ultimate mobility vehicle" is, that means Hyundai just created a studio to design walking cars. They're sort of freaky, honestly. The New Horizons Studio, as it's called, will develop vehicles "to wander with unprecedented mobility," the automaker said in the announcement. "Wander" is an appropriate word since the Elevate concept sports long legs that let the vehicle "walk" over what would typically be terrain a standard vehicle would never get past. Specifically, Hyundai imagined the Elevate as a perfect rescue vehicle to step over rocks, rubble and other debris with ease.
At other times, the Elevate would function more like a typical automobile. It's no wonder Vice President Dr. John Suh, who will lead the New Horizons Studio, called this segment a "transformer-class vehicle." Bumblebee is a little cuter in my opinion, though.
The studio for now will continue development work on the Elevate concept, but who knows where Hyundai could go next. The Korean automaker has its hands in a little bit of everything at the moment between its upcoming Ioniq electric car sub-brand, fuel-cell vehicles and even flying cars.
