Mark Megahan
Western fiction writer Zane Grey would have done nearly anything to own a Kawasaki Corleo. It’s designed with the heart of a mountain lion. Like many of his classic characters, Grey wanted to get a glimpse of the great wilderness lying somewhere far beyond city limits of any metropolis. He might have written some interesting prose if he had one of these “environmentally friendly off-road mobility platforms” in his stable.
Kawasaki improves the horse
As swiftly as was consistent with a care for his Kawasaki, Grey might have written, the rider put a distance of fifteen or eighteen miles behind him. Thanks to the artificially intelligent Corleo, the matter of riding did not require all his faculties. He took an old trail across country.
It was a flat region with a poor growth of mesquite and prickly-pear cactus. That was nothing for Corleo’s four independent robotic legs. His mount could provide balanced and stable movement across just about any terrain.
Occasionally, the sun weathered rider caught a glimpse of low hills in the distance. He had hunted often in that section, and knew where to find water.
His mount needed a drink nearly as bad as he did. Kawasaki equipped it with a 150cc hydrogen engine. Water gets converted to electricity to power all the motors and sensors. Talk about steampunk!
Once he came out upon the brow of a hill and saw a considerable stretch of country beneath him. It had the gray sameness characterizing all that he had traversed. Corleo climbed it like a mountain goat.
The compact and streamlined body owes it’s inspiration to standard Kawasaki motorcycle designs. Composed of both metal and carbon materials it also has a complete set of lights for visibility anywhere it’s needed.
Response to body movements
The trek up the steep slope was no more difficult than a walk along a level park. Kawasaki designed the mechanism with sensors which respond to the rider’s body movements.
Along with physical motion integration there’s a convenient heads up display that gives readouts on hydrogen level, navigation and weight distribution.
Instead of iron horseshoes, Corleo models are equipped with rubber hooves to enhance grip on hard and soft surfaces alike.
Kawasaki had Evil Knievel in mind when they added the ability for their robot steed to jump. With a little practice it would be the star of any respectable English fox hunt.
It’s going to be a while before Corleo hits the market. For now, it’s still a conceptual model. That means Kawasaki can’t tell you all the important details yet. Things like speed, range and battery life haven’t been fully tested.
If all goes well, Kawasaki hopes to have them in their showrooms by 2050.
