Yamaha unleashes motorcycling robot Multiple MotoGP world champ Valentino "The Doctor" Rossi had better watch his back, because Yamaha has just unleashed a motorcycling robot which was "created to surpass you", as a rather creepy video explains. Yamaha unveiled the "Motobot" at the Tokyo Motor Show on Wednesday. According to the company, it's an "autonomous …
They look more akin to stuck-out-knees with knee-pads on them then the sort of stabilisers you see on a kid's bike. Since meat-bag riders use their knees on most aggressive corners, is it a cheat if the robot has some too? I guess actually using the robot's "knees" is significantly more difficult than just strapping them to the bike directly.
"Since meat-bag riders use their knees on most aggressive corners, is it a cheat if the robot has some too?"
'Knee dragging' by pro riders isn't done to hold the bike up - it allows the rider to get their bum off the seat and shift their weight down into the apex of a bend and lower their centre of gravity. This means that the bike itself has to lean less, which results in more rubber in contact with the track (more grip) and quicker 'flickability' during a close series of bends. It also gives a rider feedback on not leaning too far and getting a nasty case of gravel rash.
If riding a standard bike, a robot would probably need to be agile enough to do this trick to beat track records, so I don't think Valentino Rossi has anything to worry about. Yet...
"'Knee dragging' by pro riders isn't done to hold the bike up"
I've seen quite a few near-losses of the front in a corner being saved by some support provided by the riders knee (and other body parts - google for Marquez' remarkable 'body save') - so whilst not the primary reason for doing it, it does happen and it does (occasionally) work :)
The bike in the picture seems to be equipped with stabilisers. Not very cool.
That's actually what I liked - training wheels on a motorcycle, LOL.
I suspect the bike will be a bit more scratched before they have the balance worked out. I noticed it turning, but with those training wheels it's not going to get very far leaning into a curve just yet :).
"... The task of controlling the complex motions of a motorcycle at high speeds ..."
As I remember, the motions of a motorcycle at high speed are quite simple. It tends to go in a straight line unless you force it to turn. It's when you ride it slowly that it can get a bit wobbly.
"Márquez crashed out after Rossi allegedly deliberately forced him off the track."
Much like Rossi did to Sete Gibernau at Phillip Island, effectively ending Gibernau's last hope of a championship win before he retired.
http://tinyurl.com/qbl2ebk
Love those massive great crash bars on the bike which the robot is riding! I reckon they've factored in Rossi's temperament as part of the design.
The outriggers mean the robot doesn't have to put its feet down when it stops, and they make mistakes a lot less expensive. Look up the skid-bike at the superbike school to see how they work. At a guess, in the future they will become extendible.
This is a very clever attack on Honda, who also make bikes, and robots, but don't do anything as exciting as a robot riding a bike. Disclaimer - I ride a Yamaha :)
"This is a very clever attack on Honda, who also make bikes, and robots, but don't do anything as exciting as a robot riding a bike. Disclaimer - I ride a Yamaha :)"
Mine's the battered XRV 750 over there... but when you're right, you're right! Have an upvote! (No pint though, don't drink and drive! I mean, you'd spill most of it anyway...)
Re: stabilizers. I'm willing to bet they're there for when the bike stops. If you touch one of those casters down at speed it'll lift the one of the actual wheels off the ground and you're in trouble. They're talking about non-modified bikes in the future, so I'm guessing the robot-legs will work at some point. If not, something like this: http://thekneeslider.com/legup-landinggear-for-harley-davidson-touring-bikes/
re: training wheels: you laugh, but some people want to ride even if their legs don't work properly. http://www.trikealternative.com/ghostwheels/
I had a reference it's predecessor, the Ecomobile but took it out as the post was getting long enough as it was. :) (I know a couple people here in the US that have them, and even met the creator an his wife when my local club had a dinner at a local bier garden.)
I'm guessing it can also play the piano.
The MotoGP bikes all have increasingly sophisticated systems for rider assistance but the riders are also incredibly skilled and the top guys are highly experienced, having made their way up through succeeding in the various feed-in classes.
It occurs to me that Yamaha may be able to learn a lot about the hidden secrets of getting a bike and rider around a track in the minimal time, if they can continue development of the robot and the bikes in tandem.
A forever existence strapped to a motorbike. People around you laughing and smiling, going home at the end of the night to a party or to see a friend and you, dear, poor Motobot, sat silent, waiting in the darkness for that moment when you can feel the throb of the engine as the signals fly through your neural network so that you can once again race the dawns breaking light.
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