At a Future Life Expo-Future City event at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group unveiled its 2050 concept model, CORLEO. Powered by four robotic legs to “scale mountains, breathe in the fresh air, and enjoy panoramic views,” the company says it can offer a new type of off-road personal mobility by combining the group’s robotics and motorcycle businesses.

The group decided on the exhibition theme “Instinct to Move” since humans have a genetic code that makes them feel happy when they are moving. With CORLEO, the idea was to unleash the human instinct to move in spectacular natural settings.

Kawasaki’s revolutionary off-road personal mobility vehicle is said to offer excellent all-terrain capability with the handling and stability of Kawasaki’s motorcycles. While preserving the joy of riding, the vehicle continually monitors the rider’s movements to achieve a reassuring sense of unity between human and machine.

Just like horse riding, operation is accomplished by detecting shifts in the rider’s center of gravity. The rider can control the machine through weight shifts detected by stirrups and handlebars. By changing the length of the stirrup, the rider can maintain an optimal posture. The company says that, with the support of the machine, even beginners can safely and securely ride on terrain such as mountains and water areas that are difficult for non-experts to ride on tires.

The rear legs move up and down independently of the front legs, which is enabled by a motorcycle-like swingarm mechanism. This not only absorbs shocks during movement but also allows the rider to maintain a posture that makes it easy to check the terrain in the direction of travel. When climbing steps, the rider can maintain a posture that avoids looking upwards, making it easier to check conditions ahead.

The four legs are equipped with hooves featuring a left-right divided structure made of rubber that absorbs surface irregularities and is slip-resistant. The hooves enable better travel over various terrains, including grasslands, rocky areas, and rubble fields.

The machine uses hydrogen as fuel, which Kawasaki says is an effective solution for realizing a decarbonized society. The group hopes that, through the machine, hydrogen-powered mobility will become more familiar to society. The powertrain gets its hydrogen fuel from canisters mounted at the rear. A 150-cm³ hydrogen engine generates the electricity that feeds the drive units in each of the four legs.

An instrument panel that displays hydrogen level, route to the summit, center of gravity position, and other information. At night, riding navigation is supported by projecting markers onto the ground to indicate the path ahead.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group says attendees can make a reservation from April 13th to experience its mobility of the future. At the Yumeshima site of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, attendees can see not only CORLEO but also the group’s ideas for a future public transportation system called ALICE that includes rail and cabin components.

For the CORLEO virtual experience, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQDhzbTz-9k&t=11s.

Check out the special website for the Expo at https://www.khi.co.jp/expo2025/index.html.