Apple has been granted its first vehicle-based patent, but it's not the Apple Car that many would have expected.
The bizarre patent reveals that Apple could be working on an 'articulated vehicle' with tank treads, and with support from BAE Systems.
Sketches filed with the patent show a two-part vehicle joined in the middle, similar to a bendy bus. The patent was granted earlier this week to the Cupertino tech giant and defence firm BAE Systems.
Spotted among 80 new patents approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office, the listing covers a linking mechanism between the two pivoting cabins, along with a steering device for the unusual tank-like vehicle.
"The present invention relates to a steering device comprising a steering member for mutually steering a first vehicle unit and a second vehicle unit of an articulated vehicle which comprises a link mechanism for mutually pivoting said vehicle units, a housing configuration arranged to form a supply space between said vehicle units and a removal mechanism arranged in the supply space," says the description of the patent, originally filed in 2015.
"Wherein the removal mechanism comprises a heating device arranged to heat air intended to stream through the housing configuration. The invention also relates to an articulated vehicle with a steering member."
While the patent sketches, spotted by Patently Apple, may hint at some sort of of tank-like vehicle, it's unlikely Apple is actually going to start producing military equipment.
The likelihood is that the patent describes one element of a future design, possibly some form of driverless vehicle such as the rumoured iCar or Apple Car.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
