If you thought robot dogs were the coolest animatronic animals out there, prepare to think again.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, a company better known for its high-end motorcycles, has unveiled a hydrogen-powered, ride-on robo-horse.
The bizarre device was unveiled at the Osaka Kansai Expo on April 4 as part of Kawasaki’s ‘Impulse to Move’ project.
Dubbed the CORLEO, this two-seater quadruped is capable of galloping over almost any terrain.
The company calls it a ‘revolutionary off-road personal mobility vehicle’ which swaps out the familiar wheels for four robotic legs.
To steer, all you need to do is move your body and the machine’s AI vision will pick out the best route to take.
And, to make sure you don’t fly off as you leap about like a robot cowboy, CORLEO constantly monitors its rider’s movements to achieve ‘a reassuring sense of unity’.
However, would-be riders might have a while to wait as Kawasaki says this has been created as a concept for 2050.
Kawasaki, a company better known for its high-end motorcycles, has unveiled a hydrogen-powered, ride-on robotic horse
Kawasaki says the vehicle, dubbed CORLEO, is a ‘revolutionary off-road personal mobility vehicle’ which swaps out the familiar wheels for four robotic legs
Like many advanced robots, the CORLEO clearly takes its design inspiration from organisms in nature.
Each of its four legs ends in a ‘left-right divided structure’ much like the cloven hoof of a mountain goat.
Kawasaki says: ‘These hooves can adapt to various terrains, including grasslands, rocky areas, and rubble fields.’
Likewise, each of the back legs hinges forward like those of a wolf or horse rather than the backwards-facing legs of the Boston Dynamics robot dog, Spot.
The company adds that each of these rear legs can ‘swing up and down independently from the front leg unit’ to better absorb the impact of running.
Additionally, those long back legs will help the rider stay relatively level when CORLEO is going up or down a slope.
Much like a real horse, this quadruped vehicle features ‘stirrups’ to help the rider maintain an optimal posture.
Together with sensors fitted in the handlebars, Kawasaki says the rider will be able to control CORLEO just by shifting their weight.
To steer the machine, all the rider needs to do is lean and CORLEO will detect their weight and adjust its path automatically
Taking inspiration from nature, CORLEO has back legs specially designed to absorb the impact of walking and running and rubber cloven hooves like those on a goat
However, CORLEO is also fitted with a few features that you wouldn’t find anywhere in nature.
Most notable is the 150cc hydrogen generator that powers the vehicle.
This system takes hydrogen from tanks in the rear to produce electricity for each of the legs’ drive systems.
Unlike a real horse, this means the only waste CORLEO will leave on the roads will be clean water produced by burning hydrogen.
Additionally, the vehicle is fitted with an instrument panel which displays ‘hydrogen level, route to the summit, center of gravity position, and other information’.
Kawasaki adds: ‘At night, it supports optimal riding by projecting markers onto the road surface to indicate the path ahead.’
In an incredible promotional video, the CORLEO can be seen leaping over rugged terrain with a rider.
It appears that Kawasaki intends this to be a true all-purpose off-road machine as they show the vehicle taking on everything from mountains to grassy plains.
On social media, technology fans were amazed by the futuristic design with one saying that it was like something out of a ‘scifi movie’
One commenter said they wanted to live in a future where technology like CORLEO was a reality
Another excited commenter said the vehicle was ‘what true innovation looks like’
One fan said that CORLEO would be ‘life changing’ for them as someone in a wheelchair, allowing them to visit nature more easily
On social media, tech fans rushed to share their excitement over this futuristic concept.
One excited commenter wrote: ‘Now that’s something straight out of a scifi movie’.
Another chimed in: ‘Please make it! I want to live in a future with this! It looks so fun!’
‘This is what true innovation looks like. Well done,’ added another.
Meanwhile, other commenters shared their vision for how CORLEO might be able to change their lives.
One commenter wrote: ‘I am a disabled person using a wheelchair. It is difficult for me to be able to visit nature and I have been thinking of this technology for years.
‘This can be life changing for me to be able to be again in the mountains or in forests!’
However, the impressive mobility showcased in the video is still a long way off from the current reality.
At night, CORLEO projects the directions onto the road ahead to make navigation easy
Unfortunately, CORLEO is currently just a concept vehicle and Kawasaki doesn’t say if it has plans to ever make it commercially available
Not every commenter was so pleased, and some were angry that the video only showed a CGI rendering of CORLEO
Another complained that people couldn’t tell the video was only showcasing a concept rather than a real product
That left some technology enthusiasts fuming that this amazing vehicle may never really exist.
One commenter wrote: When you have a non-CG [computer generated] video of it doing this, I’ll sign up for the pre-order.’
While another added: ‘It’s crazy how many people can’t tell this isn’t real.’
The company has created a prototype which they showed off at the Osaka Kansai Expo.
However, that version could do little more than stand and pose and is yet to be seen walking.
CORLEO is primarily a concept vehicle, and it isn’t clear if Kawasaki ever really intends to produce a commercially available version.
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