Hyundai Motor Group unveiled the TIGER X-1, its first uncrewed ultimate mobility vehicle (UMV) concept. TIGER, which stands for Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot, is a mobility solution conducting mobile scientific exploration projects and activities. Hyundai designed TIGER as a four-wheel carrier vehicle for delivery operations to remote and challenging terrains.
“Vehicles like TIGER, and the technologies underpinning it, give us an opportunity to push our imaginations,” said Dr. John Suh, New Horizons Studio’s director. “We are constantly looking at ways to rethink vehicle design and development and redefine the future of transportation and mobility.” Under the project name X-1, the Korean automaker’s UMV research unit New Horizons Studio administers the development of TIGER. With capacities to operate in extreme and inaccessible locations, TIGER features an advanced locomotive system and directional controls and sensors.
At the CES 2019, Hyundai introduced the Elevate, its first passenger-carrying UMV optimized for search-and-rescue missions and disaster assistance transportation. Similar to Elevate, TIGER X-1 can transform from four-wheel drive mode to four-legged walking mode due to leg-wheel articulation technology. Aside from these functions, TIGER X-1 can also connect to unmanned aerial vehicles for delivering medical-related products and other goods.
TIGER X-1 Development Partnerships
In September 2020, Hyundai Motor Group formed New Horizons Studio to aid the expansion of the company’s UMV innovation capabilities. Together with Autodesk and Sundberg-Ferar, New Horizons Studio created the autonomous concept vehicle. While Autodesk is a design software and services company, Sundberg-Ferar is an industrial design consultation provider. By combining their generative design expertise, the companies equipped TIGER with a modular platform design ideal for 360-degree surface evaluation. Due to the increasing advancements in future mobility, Hyundai Motor Group is focusing more on technologies involving robotics and AI.
“Working closely with the team at Hyundai on the TIGER X-1 vehicle, using advanced technology such as generative design to push the boundaries of increasing strength while reducing weight in transportation, is exactly what we mean when we talk about creating the new possible,” said Srinath Jonnalagadda, an official at Autodesk.
“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,” said David Byron, a Sundberg-Ferar official.
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