While the future of automobiles tend to be envisioned as driverless or flying cars, South Korean automaker Hyundai has a different approach with the unveiling of its walking car concept at CES 2019 in Las Vegas.
As the concept suggests, the walking car design is defined by its robotic legs, which the company claims is the future of the first responder industry and has “limitless” purposes. Dubbed as project “Elevate,” the futuristic vehicle is intended to be used at natural disaster sites, with operators of the car able to drive, walk, or climb over “the most treacherous terrain.” The vehicle will drive at highway speeds just like any other vehicle, but enhanced to perform climbing over a five foot wall, step over a five foot gap, walk over diverse terrain, and more, all while keeping its body and passengers completely level.
The company has been working with Detroit firm Sundberg-Ferar on the concept for almost three years, and John Suh, Hyundai vice president and head of Hyundai CRADLE said in a statement, “This technology goes well beyond emergency situations – people living with disabilities worldwide that don’t have access to an ADA ramp could hail an autonomous Hyundai Elevate that could walk up to their front door, level itself, and allow their wheelchair to roll right in – the possibilities are limitless.”
Currently in the early concept stages, there is no official timeline for its availability. Peep the video above to see Elevate in action, and for more details, head on over to Hyundai’s website.
Up next, this is what BMW and The North Face think future campers could look like.
