The Car With Legs

Being shown for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday, it’s the first UMV – or Ultimate Mobility Vehicle – fitted with legs so it can walk over difficult terrains.

And it’s not the only wacky offroader that will be shown to the public for the first time in the next week – Suzuki set to preview two modified versions of its latest Jimny SUV.

Hyundai has teased what’s in store for January 7 with the early release of a preview image of the incredible vehicle in question.

Elevate looks set to become one of the most bonkers concepts of the year.

From the preview image alone it appears to have four driven wheels attached to robotic legs.

Each wheeled limb has four joints, meaning it’s the first car to have knees and hips designed to strut across harsh terrains.

The closest thing we can compare it to is an AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) Walker from the Star Wars franchise – though with far less destructive aims.

The legs are designed to ‘take people where no vehicle has been before’, according to the Korean car maker.

In a short statement released online, it said: ‘At CES 2019, Hyundai will present a totally new vehicle concept.

‘This vehicle combines the power of robotics and EV technology to take people where no vehicle has been before.

‘The four-legged Hyundai ‘Elevate’ will redefine our perception of vehicular mobility.’

Few technical details have been released as yet, though we do know it is powered by electricity and guided by robotics, meaning it should have some autonomous driving – or walking – elements.

Where would it be used? The early-release image suggests an apocalyptic scenario with a surface of huge rocks.

With a big red cross on the side of the Elevate, it appears to be attending a disaster scene, possibly being used as an ambulance to reach stricken humans

Called the Hum Rider, it was designed by mechanical effects engineer Scott Beverly of Californian fabricators A2Zfx.

That was a one-off, as the Hyundai is likely to be with the manufacturer clearly stating that it is a ‘design concept’ and ‘prototype’.

And the fact it is being launched at a tech event rather than a motor show suggests we won’t be seeing one strutting down the road any time soon.