Photo: Hyundai
At the beginning of this year, Hyundai showed to the world a scaled-down version of a walking-car concept. Called Elevate, the crawling machine has been developed together with their own Center for Robotic-Augmented Design in Living Experiences.
CRADLE in short, the organization is the South Korean carmaker's response to the increasingly innovative ideas coming from startups around the world. It is meant to back and invest in so-called disruptive technologies, the ones that are most likely to shape the world of tomorrow.
When it launched Elevate, Hyundai said it would build a network of CRADLE offices around the world. It already did so in Seoul, Berlin, Tel Aviv, and Silicon Valley, and now Beijing joins the list and completes the planned network.
As per the carmaker, the Chinese CRADLE will work with "ICT companies, start-ups, government institutions, universities, and other strategic partners" to "boost the development of prospective services, systems, and complementary research opportunities."
In words we can all understand, that means Hyundai is trying to reposition itself as more than just a carmaker, but a provider of various mobility solutions, tailored to specific needs.
The Elevate, for instance, with its ability to walk using is segmented legs, would prove ideal when emergency services are trying to reach otherwise inaccessible locations.
For now, the Elevate remains a scaled-down concept, but a possible production version will be based on a modular electric platform, which means it can use a variety of bodies, depending on the required use. The chassis houses the 66 kWh battery and attached to it are the four legs that make up the walker.
Given the configuration of the four legs, the Elevate is “capable of both mammalian and reptilian walking gaits,”
When the legs are not in use, they can be retracted into a compartment, bringing the wheels closer to the chassis and allowing for the car to reach highway speeds.
When it launched Elevate, Hyundai said it would build a network of CRADLE offices around the world. It already did so in Seoul, Berlin, Tel Aviv, and Silicon Valley, and now Beijing joins the list and completes the planned network.
As per the carmaker, the Chinese CRADLE will work with "ICT companies, start-ups, government institutions, universities, and other strategic partners" to "boost the development of prospective services, systems, and complementary research opportunities."
In words we can all understand, that means Hyundai is trying to reposition itself as more than just a carmaker, but a provider of various mobility solutions, tailored to specific needs.
The Elevate, for instance, with its ability to walk using is segmented legs, would prove ideal when emergency services are trying to reach otherwise inaccessible locations.
For now, the Elevate remains a scaled-down concept, but a possible production version will be based on a modular electric platform, which means it can use a variety of bodies, depending on the required use. The chassis houses the 66 kWh battery and attached to it are the four legs that make up the walker.
Given the configuration of the four legs, the Elevate is “capable of both mammalian and reptilian walking gaits,”
When the legs are not in use, they can be retracted into a compartment, bringing the wheels closer to the chassis and allowing for the car to reach highway speeds.
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