Meet Outlander: An ATV Trike designed to dominate on the rough, red terrain of Mars

Meet Outlander: An ATV Trike designed to dominate on the rough, red terrain of Mars

On Mars, every vehicle’s an off-roader…

Say hello to Outlander, the red planet’s first “MTV”, or Mars Terrain Veloce. Designed by Seongho Kim, the Outlander aims at being the one definitive vehicle to help you conquer the red planet’s inhospitable terrain. The three-wheeled format gives the Outlander a great balance between maneuverability and weight, and a 3D-printed metal chassis, coupled with CO2 blasters and airless tires allows the rider to effortlessly navigate Mars’ undulating surface without any hiccups whatsoever.

Designer: Seongho Kim

It’s entirely conceivable that we’re probably going to see a manned mission to Mars in our lifetime, and if we intend on inhabiting the planet, we need to be able to explore it too. That’s where the Outlander comes in, helping you effectively do a ground mission on the planet’s uneven surface without requiring any complex vehicular assistance. The Outlander is practically the ATV’s distant cousin, optimized for a foreign environment.

The single-seater trike combines a compact and lightweight structure with a capable design that maximizes fun and minimizes failure. The two tires on the front are perfect for being able to adeptly navigate undulating land, while LiDAR sensor between them helps the Outlander understand the road ahead. A set of CO2 canisters right underneath the rider fire when the ‘MTV’ needs vertical lift, giving the vehicle an upward push to help it climb and jump higher. Meanwhile, cleverly engineered airless tires absorb any sort of rough impact without bursting or crumbling like conventional tires and wheels.

The entire trike has an otherwise skeletal design from head to wheel. Carbon fiber and 3D-printed metal parts help give the trike its sturdiness and lightweight structure, and a cargo unit right between the rider’s legs lets them carry important equipment from A to B. Under the cargo hatch sits the Outlander’s battery unit, which supplies power to the rear-wheel motor.