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.
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.
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.
