Hyundai shows off walking car project
- Hyundai showed off its Elevate project on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show gadget extravaganza, billing it an unprecedented “Ultimate Mobility Vehicle” that combines technology from electric cars with robotics.
- Elevate is designed with four mechanical legs with wheels for feet, according to a small-scale model shown at the press event. Elevate vehicles can roll along on extended legs or retract them to be driven like a car.
- Extended legs could also be used to climb or crawl while keeping the passenger compartment level, according to David Byron of Sundberg-Ferar, an industrial design consultancy, which is working with Hyundai on the project.
- This technology goes well beyond emergency situations — people living with disabilities could hail an autonomous Hyundai Elevate that could walk up to their front door, level itself, and allow their wheelchair to roll right in.
