Hyundai Motor Group has revealed TIGER (Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot), the company’s second ultimate mobility vehicle (UMV) and the first designed to be uncrewed. According to the Korean auto maker, the ground excursion robot is designed to carry various types of payload while traveling over challenging terrain.
The TIGER is being developed by the company’s New Horizons Studio, which is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and was established in late 2020 to develop UMVs drawing on research and innovation leadership from Silicon Valley and other innovation hubs.
“Vehicles like TIGER, and the technologies underpinning it, give us an opportunity to push our imaginations,” said Dr John Suh, head of New Horizons Studio. “We are constantly looking at ways to rethink vehicle design and development and re-define the future of transportation and mobility.”
The vehicle is designed to function as a mobile scientific exploration platform in extreme, remote locations. Based on a modular platform architecture, its features include a sophisticated leg and wheel locomotion system, 360° 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 vehicle to inaccessible locations. A large load bay housed within its body means the vehicle can carry goods for delivery or be deployed to deliver aid packages in emergency situations.