Xtend Design's Moon Rover Was Motivated By Contemporary Skoda Cars
by AutoExpert | 26 November, 2021
The automotive industry stretches beyond our planet's surface. Currently, GM is working on a new lunar rover alongside Lockheed Martin, while Japan has debuted the Toyota Lunar Cruiser, its moon exploration machine. This time, Xtend Design unveils the Luniaq, a moon rover influenced by the Skoda Enyaq that was unveiled at Czech Space Week.
The Luniaq is a concept for an electric moon vehicle designed by Tomas Rousek of Xtend Design that can transport up to four people. It's built on the MMSEV platform from NASA.
The Luniaq's enormous windows are made of transparent aluminum, which is supposed to be more immune to micrometeorites than glass. Additional radiation shielding is provided by polyethylene layers, whereas the bottom front window enables drivers to observe the ground immediately in front of the vehicle.
Xtend Design's Luniaq also has stereoscopic cameras for scanning the terrain and 3D vision, allowing for remote and autonomous vehicle operation. The huge soft wheels also include Michelin's Tweel technology. Are there any similarities between this moon rover and the Skoda Enyaq that you can notice?