“I was created to surpass you” says the MotoBot. At the Las Vegas CES, the yearly world’s gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, Yamaha unveiled its latest R&D tool to improve the performance of its motorcycles. The motorcycle-riding robot is challenging the best racers to set new speed records. For example, can the MotoBot beat the lap times of an exceptional champion like Valentino Rossi? Can GPS, CPU’s, sensors, etc calculate new dynamics and surpass the brain capabilities of racing champions accustomed to hair-raising flirts with the upper limit of speed and edge of physics?
The MotoBot is able to operate the six basic functions of a motorcycle: throttling, steering, clutching, gear shifting, front and rear braking. The robot’s brain autonomously calculates the right speed, optimal rpm, lean angle, acceleration, best lines to take around a track. For now, maximum speed is only about 60 mph (100 km/h), but when this humanoid will reach and surpass champions’ speed Yamaha expects to be able to find new ways to improve its motorcycles. So, humans learning from a robot or the opposite?
Very interesting. The motorcycle industry with the rest of the world is changing faster and faster.
Good luck with that Bot….
Human teaching robot how to ride. Robot teaching human how to ride faster.
Just wait until Skynet becomes self aware. These things will be running us down in the streets with machine guns strapped to the sides of their Yamaha R1’s. One of us will have to go back in time and post a warning on the Cyril Huze blog in order to stop it all from happening. Or has one of us already done that? Hmmmm.
Mike, You just scared the hell out of me…
Mike, if these robots get out of hand, the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger will save us all.
OK, that all well & good, but when will it be able to wash and service my bike…. ???
-nicker-
f*in technos do stuff because it can be done and the rest of mankind has to live with the consequences — e.g. the big bomb.
WOOOOOW!!!!!! Its brilliant!
BTW the Hollywood myth of machines taking over from humans, is just that, a myth. “Machines” will never live without humans – because without humans they have no purposes – soooooo relax…, relax.., relax.., elax.., lax.., lax… lax.., lax… 🙂 He, he, he, he.
I wonder if in 10-15 years when this robot has gotten old if it will start riding cruisers?
When I don’t want to go for a ride cause the weathers terrible I will let the robot take the bike out for me……..lol
Better if they could walk the dog and listen to the Mrs………..bet some hand wringing, sandle wearing goat herder would call it cruelty to artificual inteligent life forms.
It would be interesting to see this technology perfected and then a racing league start. See how fast teams of mechanics and computer programmers could get them going around a track. Maybe not an oval like NASCAR butt something with multiple curves like motorcycle racing or Le Mans.
I’d love to see a fleet of these racing the NASCAR circuit. The robots wouldn’t get bored of constantly turning left on the ovals, the road tracks would be awesome, and for the first time ever they could emulate the rest of racing’s elite series by changing to rain tires and continuing the race when the track got wet 😉
Wow, a lot of killer ideas.
I wonder how good it is at stopping and putting its feet down, shifting, braking, etc? Or is all that electronic, i.e. it can’t really ride the bike?
man will never realize his/her true potential!
Therefore… You need not worry about one building a humanoid who’ll surpass your limited capabilities.
Finally!……….the perfect riding pardoner!
from the warrior to the geek
AMAZING! How do you do that? It is truly amazing how many People are so brilliant and what can be achieved with Technology. I think that when they can install EGO in these Robo Riders than we can really believe that we are about to be replaced.
Wait until Motobot wants to start customizing itself and the bike.. Then see how you all feel about it..
John Britten started this course of direction with his programable race course with his amazing designs
but can it flip a bird when someone pulls out in front of it? that’s the true test
Could it be told to ride to Sturgis? Allowing yest another generation of posers to sew on a “My Bike Rode to Sturgis 2030” patch….. 🙂
-nicker-
Scary, very scary