Some engineers aren’t satisfied with ordinary cars and are experimenting with vehicles that can transform.
Owning a car is convenient — it gives people freedom of movement without relying on public transportation. But for some innovators, simply driving from point A to point B isn’t enough. They want vehicles that can do far more.
Some dream about turning cars into mobile homes, others imagine driving off a highway and flying into the sky, and countless fans of robot-themed sci-fi movies have tried to recreate transforming machines in real life.
The result is a number of fascinating engineering concepts that can literally change shape. Editors at Auto30.com looked at a few particularly interesting examples created by enthusiasts and engineers.
The Slovak company AeroMobil began working on its flying car concept back in 1989. One of the most famous prototypes, the Flying Roadster 4.0, has already completed flight tests. The vehicle is designed to operate both on the road and in the air.
In terms of size, the roadster is roughly comparable to a full-size sedan, which means it fits easily into normal traffic and parking spaces. When it’s time to take off, retractable wings deploy from the body. The transformation from car to aircraft takes about three minutes. On the road it can reach around 100 mph, while in the air it can fly at roughly 224 mph. The estimated flight range is about 460 miles on a single trip — impressive figures for a hybrid vehicle of this type.
The story of intelligent machines from the Transformers film franchise inspired countless fans around the world. Engineers at the Turkish company Letrons decided to bring that fantasy closer to reality by building a real transforming robot based on a BMW.
Watching it in action is pretty incredible. What appears to be an ordinary BMW pulls up, stops, and within seconds begins transforming into a giant humanoid robot. Unfortunately, it can’t actually drive once the transformation process begins. The machine works more like a massive remote-controlled robot than a functional car.
Still, as a robot the Antimon looks impressive. Its head can rotate about 120 degrees, the arms and fingers move independently, and its headlight “eyes” glow with dynamic lighting effects.
An interesting detail noted by Auto30.com: in robot mode Antimon remains stationary, but the developers say it could eventually gain the ability to walk — if a customer is willing to pay for that upgrade. The first prototype took about 11 months to build. Since then, the company has expanded the lineup to five transforming robots: Antimon, Bizmut, Argon, Wolfram, and Tantal.
In Germany, engineers from the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence created a unique compact car concept called the EO Smart Connecting Car 2.
At first glance, it looks like a small two-seat city car with a modest trunk. But the real trick lies in its unusual design. The wheels can rotate 90 degrees, allowing the car to move sideways. Even more interesting, the vehicle can physically shrink. Its length can contract from about 8.2 feet to roughly 4.9 feet, making it far easier to park in crowded urban areas.
These features make the car extremely maneuverable on busy city streets. Another clever idea behind the concept is that multiple cars can communicate with each other and physically connect into a small convoy. Once linked together, they operate as a single unit controlled by the driver of the first vehicle, while the other drivers effectively become passngers.
The Los Angeles company A2ZFX created one of the most unusual concept vehicles ever shown on public streets. Called the Hum Rider, it’s capable of lifting itself nearly 6.5 feet into the air with the push of a button.
The base vehicle is a modified Jeep Grand Cherokee. Engineers removed most of the mechanical components and added a hydraulic system that raises the body high above the ground. Because the modifications significantly increased the vehicle’s weight, the SUV was fitted with heavy-duty truck tires.
The project was developed in secret and later demonstrated on a public street in Lancaster. Drivers were stunned as the vehicle lifted itself up and slowly rolled over cars stuck in traffic.
In reality, the Hum Rider was built purely for promotional purposes by order of the telecommunications company Verizon to promote its in-car Hum connectivity system. Unfortunately, it’s not a real solution for traffic jams. It’s unlikely other drivers would line up perfectly to let an elevated SUV drive over them. Still, the idea of a lifting chassis is an intriguing concept that might someday help vehicles overcome obstacles.
The British company Overland created a clever camper modification based on the Volkswagen T5 Transporter van.
The project, called DoubleBack, features a sliding rear module that turns the van into a compact motorhome.
Thanks to the extendable design, the van almost doubles its living space. With the push of a button, an electric mechanism pulls the rear section out from the back of the vehicle and supports it on two legs. The entire transformation takes about 45 seconds. Meanwhile, the roof of the main cabin pops up to create extra headroom and improve ventilation.
This concept may not be the most practical idea ever created, but it certainly wins points for creativity. At first glance, it looks like a small and somewhat odd city car. But at the press of a button the vehicle splits apart into two enclosed motorcycles.
The idea came from designer Mark Wilson, while engineers at the design firm Argodesign turned the concept into a working prototype. The vehicle uses an electric motor with rear-wheel drive.
To create smooth aerodynamic lines when the vehicle is combined, the motorcycles are built asymmetrically. Their inner sides are flat so they can connect together, while the outer sides have a rounded shape. When joined, they form a single compact vehicle — and when separated, they become two individual rides.