Two corporations have come together to make a technological innovation one could expect from science-fiction films. It’s been announced by Hyundai & Autodesk that they’ve created a terrain vehicle named Elevate, which is designed to traverse multiple environments via legs & still sustain the capability of driving on legal roads. It’s an innovation that’s been praised by manufacturing conglomerates worldwide.
The Founding Director of Hyundai – New Horizons Studio of Silicon Valley, spoke with media personnel regarding the innovation. Founder John Suh clarified that Elevate is the innovation of a robot & car being combined into a singular unit. Creating this technology wasn’t easily accomplished, with generative design software being combined with “Manufacturing 3D Printing Tech”. The result was a prototype that could sustain almost all terrain for military & consumer usage.
NHS Hyundai wanted to develop a vehicle that maintained footing similar to humans, with identical capabilities in handling irregular grounds & traversing those environments to better react to rescue situations. Considering the impact climate change has been horrific, developing a vehicle with the intention of better handling rescue situations like earthquakes & forest fires will become a substantial assistance for EMS personnel.
Founder John Suh mentioned that hundreds of designs were explored before selection was made & that lightweight structures were required to ensure irregular grounds could be traversed. Structurally speaking, materials that sustain hard compounds were selected. Using a metal that’s light & strong with its compound enabled computer modules to go beyond expectations for NHS Hyundai.
Approach in Design
It’s taken twelve months for the concept to enter fruition, with NHS Hyundai approaching Autodesk in 2019 to minimize the production & parts required with vehicle manufacturing. Hyundai’s conceptual idea turned into an innovative task that was kept secret until November 20th. Simulations were required before testing could be completed, with live tests indicating the best results possible. John Suh ended his remarks with media personnel by emphasising that challenges associated to this project taught Hyundai Corporate numerous methods in approaching vehicle design. The corporate division will use those methods to create subsequent innovations.