Robotics experts have invested a lot of time in teaching robots how to walk like humans and/or quadrupeds—despite our many, many warnings—and it’s turned out to be a pretty difficult task. We’re assuming that’s why Yamaha just skipped all that “walk before you can run” nonsense and went straight to high speed motorsports with its new Motobot.
The motorcycling robot was introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show 2015, though the mechanical youngster still has his training wheels on:
Yamaha’s engineers are working to ensure that, soon, Motobot will be able to ride a fully un-modified motorcycle at 200 km/h (124 mph) around a track with extremely precise control. The goal of this, outside of a feeble attempt at creating the only motorcycle gang to rival the awesomeness/terror of Chris Pratt’s raptors, is to eventually use the data involved in making Motobot work to create improved safety systems for human motorcycle riders.
Or, you know, its mission is to “surpass us” as it says ominously at the end of the demonstration video, which sounds in no way vaguely threatening. Nope. Just an innocent robot on a motorcycle. Nothing more to see here.
(via TechXplore, image via Yamaha)
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Published: Oct 29, 2015 11:48 am