October 12, 2007 8:30 AM PDT
Forget the fictitious Heroes samurai Takezo Kensei...Mazda named its car of the future after the real Japanese warrior Mori Motonari.
Like the samurai armor of old, the Motonari RX is meant to become one with its owner. Four wheels with 360-degree movement are controlled by the driver through a suit that functions as the controller .
"The entire structure of the vehicle is comprised of a 100 percent re-prototypable, carbon nano-tube/shape memory alloy weave with a photovoltaic coating. This enables programmable tensiometry and fluid movement while ensuring efficient energy transfer to the in-wheel electro-static nanomotors," according to Mazda.
Photo by Mazda R&D North America
