Check out this humanoid, motorcycle-riding robot – the motobot. It was demoed by Yamaha at the recent 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.
This is for real and kinda scary. This is Terminator meets Robocop.
The video below starts with the message “I was created to surpass you” in apparent reference to Valentino Rossi, Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. It also adds “I am improving my skills every day.” Imagine a robot that learns everyday and improves everyday. The humanoid, dubbed Motobot Ver 1, is autonomous; stepping on the throttle when it wants to go faster as well as applying the brakes whenever it wants to. It analyses its position and routes via Global Positioning System (GPS) all without human input. This model can hit speeds of 120km/h.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4asCK8yamb0
As far as the company, Yamaha is concerned, it plans to apply what it learns in building Motobot to improve the products that it makes, which include motorcycles, snowmobiles, ATVs, industrial robots, and more. Yamaha specifies the development of “advanced rider safety systems” as one area that the Motobot might be able to help with.
“By using Motobot technologies to optimize control of vehicle dynamics, we will develop higher performing and safer forms of mobility,” Yamaha says
From driverless cars to robots riding motorcycles, humans beware!!
