Hyundai reveals its TIGER uncrewed Ultimate Mobility Vehicle concept

Hyundai Motor Group has revealed the Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot (TIGER), its second Ultimate Mobility Vehicle (UMV) and the first designed to be uncrewed. The transforming intelligent ground excursion robot is designed to carry various types of payloads while traveling over challenging terrain.

The TIGER is being developed by Hyundai Motor Group's New Horizons Studio, headquartered in Mountain View, California. The studio was established in late 2020 to develop UMVs, drawing on research and innovation leadership from Silicon Valley and other innovation hubs.

The TIGER's exceptional capabilities allow it to function as a mobile scientific exploration platform in extreme and remote locations. Based on a modular platform architecture, its features include a sophisticated leg and wheel locomotion system, 360-degree directional control, and a range of sensors for remote observation.

It is also intended to connect to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which can fully charge and deliver the TIGER to inaccessible locations. A large load bay housed within its body means the TIGER can carry goods for delivery, or be deployed to deliver aid packages in emergency situations. Leg-wheel articulation enables the TIGER to tackle a range of extreme situations while keeping payloads more level than a typical ground vehicle.

With its legs retracted, the TIGER drives like an all-wheel drive vehicle and is in its most efficient mode because it moves by rolling traction. But when the vehicle gets stuck or needs to travel over terrain that is difficult or impassable for wheels alone, it uses its walking ability to get unstuck or more easily travel over that terrain.

This was a feature previously seen in the Elevate, Hyundai Motor Group's first-ever UMV concept with moveable legs, which debuted at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show.

The difference between the Elevate and the TIGER is that, while the former can carry passengers, the latter is uncrewed. Both the TIGER and the Elevate blend robotic and wheeled locomotion technologies, allowing them to traverse terrain beyond the limitations of even the most capable off-road vehicle.

The first version of the TIGER is the X-1, which brings together a wide-range of technological and design expertise. The project is being led by Hyundai Motor Group's New Horizons Studio, in close partnership with Autodesk, a leading engineering design software company.

The TIGER X-1 fuses Autodesk's generative design capabilities with Hyundai's growing R&D capabilities in mobility. The teams have been working together to create a lightweight but incredibly strong structure, with the legs and certain chassis elements created using carbon fibre composite additive printing.

Collaborating with external concept design experts Sundberg-Ferar, New Horizons Studio has been developing the TIGER X-1 to deliver and retrieve critical payloads across rugged terrain. These capabilities make the concept vehicle ideal for 360-degree surface evaluation in areas struck by natural disasters, tackling challenging terrain, or even exploring the surface of another moon or planet.