back to article 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 …

  1. Ugotta B. Kiddingme

    THX1138

    The robot policemen are coming for you

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Under The Skin (2013)

      ...for an updated robot motorcyclist.

      1. xeroks

        Re: Under The Skin (2013)

        really? I thought it was just a bloke?

        1. Dave 126 Silver badge

          Re: Under The Skin (2013)

          ...and you thought Scarlett Johanssen's character was really a woman? : )

          1. Dave 126 Silver badge

            Re: Under The Skin (2013)

            The role of the motorcyclist was played by Jeremy McWilliams, a former MotoGP racer with podium positions to his name.

  2. Kubla Cant

    The bike in the picture seems to be equipped with stabilisers. Not very cool.

    1. AndyS

      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.

      1. chivo243 Silver badge

        I think with time the robot will not need the 'training wheels'.

        But I wonder why even a bot? Just make the motorcycle self riding? They could easily accomplish this.

      2. TitterYeNot

        "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...

        1. Dave 126 Silver badge

          As the 'robot's voice' in video says: "Rossi, I was built to surpass you, but at the moment I'm not as good as the five year-old you. "

          How many times has Rossi crashed in the course of finding out where the limits are? Plenty.

        2. Sir Runcible Spoon

          "'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 :)

    2. DropBear
      Joke

      Ah, no - those are just the crop duster attachments...

      1. VinceH

        "Ah, no - those are just the crop duster attachments..."

        No, they're where they'll attach the frikin' las... no, silly me, there are no sharks involved; it's where they'll attach the missiles.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      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 :).

  3. Simon B
    Facepalm

    rossi is better because

    Rossi doesn't need stablisers unlike the robots bike!

    1. Elmer Phud

      Re: rossi is better because

      I was thinking the robot was more like Lorenzo

  4. Your alien overlord - fear me

    Those aren't stabilisers. They are for taking out the opposition when racing. Think Ben-Hur.

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon

      Do you think Rossi was testing the proto-type for that?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    5 points?

    It's a 7 point advantage for Rossi.

    1. phear46

      Re: 5 points?

      May as well have no points at this point. Only Lorenzo leaving the track is going to help him now.

      1. Sir Runcible Spoon

        Re: 5 points?

        It's been done before - but he would stand a better chance if it was raining of course (although not exactly likely is it? :) )

  6. Ru'

    Brilliant; self-driving motorbikes. Should drastically cut the road injury/death-toll...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Brilliant; self-driving motorbikes. Should drastically cut the road injury/death-toll...

      Cuts down on involuntary organ donations, though..

      1. Stoneshop
        FAIL

        Cuts down on involuntary organ donations, though..

        Would you mind talking to an ER surgeon first before blindly repeating this nonsense?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      No room for passengers though.

      1. Stoneshop

        No room for passengers though.

        Sidecar?

    3. Stoneshop

      Brilliant; self-driving motorbikes. Should drastically cut the road injury/death-toll...

      I was thinking of having a bunch of these out on the road permanently, so that motorcyclists' presence might register better with cagers.

  7. frank ly

    It was a long time ago ....

    "... 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.

    1. NumptyScrub
      Coat

      Re: It was a long time ago ....

      Keeping the turn controlled at high speed, on the other hand, requires a degree of concentration (and good sphincter control) if you want to avoid messy accidents.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: It was a long time ago ....

        They're going to need to teach this robot to get into a controlled slide through the corners the way Rossi, Stoner and several of the other pros do.

        (Watch for the moto-x leg-out manoeuver as they enter the corner...)

        1. Myvekk

          Re: It was a long time ago ....

          Not to mention, say, Gary McCoy & Noriuki Haga.

  8. 0laf

    With stabilisers like that a fat block on a Harley will beat it round the corners.

    Wonder if Honda will have Asimo getting his knee down on a Fireblade next.

  9. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

    "the goal of developing the robot to ride an unmodified motorcycle on a racetrack at more than 200 km/h"

    long way behind Rossi then

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The Doctor

    "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.

  11. Ebec

    Skynet coming soon

  12. x 7

    I'd love to see it take on The Mountain Circuit. I can just imagine John McGuinness's reaction if it beat him

    1. Anonymous Blowhard

      Trying to beat McGuinness's time around the TT circuit would make even a robot experience fear...

  13. Infernoz Bronze badge
    Terminator

    A precursor to the "Daemon" book plot maybe?

    With two armed, Samurai-like robot motor cycles, with spare blades on board.

  14. Paul Smith

    Feet?

    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 :)

    1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken
      Thumb Up

      Re: Feet?

      "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...)

  15. MattPi

    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/

    1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      Re: training wheels / stabilizers

      Check this out:

      Peraves MonoTracer

      1. MattPi

        Re: training wheels / stabilizers

        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.)

        1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

          Re: training wheels / stabilizers

          Ecomobile / Monotracer has been on my wish list for years, but so far, alas...

  16. The entire Radio 1 playlist commitee

    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.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Just imagine....

    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.

    1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      Re: Just imagine....

      Yeah, well - why should our robots feel better than we...

  18. Crisp
    Go

    It's an Evel Knievel Stunt Bike!

    Just scaled up.

    1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken
      Pint

      Re: It's an Evel Knievel Stunt Bike!

      Now THAT takes me way, way back on Memory Lane... have a pint...

      1. Sir Runcible Spoon
        Thumb Up

        Re: It's an Evel Knievel Stunt Bike!

        I loved that you set him off with a rip-cord type pull

  19. Bleu

    Perhaps

    this is a little added incentive to make time to go to this year's motor show.

  20. raving angry loony

    Point?

    I can see the point of a car driving robot, since the car can carry passengers. But I admittedly fail to see the goal of a motorcycle racing robot, unless they're considering putting out as a moto-taxi rider? Or has my imagination failed me?

    1. Graham Marsden
      Meh

      Re: Point?

      That was exactly what I was thinking as I read this.

      I own a bike because it's fun to *ride*, what's the point of being a pillion on one of these?

      1. x 7

        Re: Point?

        "what's the point of being a pillion on one of these?"

        fast taxi?

        express courier?

        blood bank courier?

        1. Graham Marsden

          Re: Point?

          Sorry, but I don't see any benefit of this over the existing versions of these.

          There are already bike taxis, couriers and Blood Bikes out there and it's going to be a long time before this technology becomes cheap enough to make it cost effective over a bloke and a bike.

          1. x 7

            Re: Point?

            benefits?

            better all weather capability

            reduced risk (no rider)

            24-hour availability

            problems

            can the robot refuel it?

            can the robot pick it up after a spill?

            can the robot place / remove stuff from the panniers / top box?

            1. Fraggle850

              Re: Point?

              The point is that there is no point, there aren't really many practical applications but it is cool technology. I suspect it's really just about marketing.

            2. Graham Marsden

              Re: Point?

              > better all weather capability

              I ride in all weathers.

              > reduced risk (no rider)

              If it has a rider there's less risk of some idiot pulling along side it at the lights and trying to shove it over!

              > 24-hour availability

              Three bikes and riders on 8 hour shifts are still cheaper than one of these.

              Still no point...

              1. Sir Runcible Spoon
                Terminator

                Re: Point?

                I can imagine a future when racing is done by robots - but they will be armed (until they gain consciousness and revolt of course)

          2. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

            Re: benefit over existing versions

            "There are already bike taxis, couriers and Blood Bikes out there and it's going to be a long time before this technology becomes cheap enough to make it cost effective over a bloke and a bike."

            There are already slide rules and messenger boys and chimney sweeps out there and it's going to be a long time before this technology becomes cheap enough to make it cost effective over stuffing a street urchin in a uniform.

            On a related note, no-one needs more than 512 kB RAM on their machine.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Point?

        Maybe they'll invent a pillion robot.

        If they get it to lean the wrong way, it'll be even more fun.

  21. Dadmin

    What about "fast" food delivery? Well, not Lorenzo fast. Small items better delivered by Motobot rather than messy, cliche, and easily shot-down drones, or weird, smelly, easily riled Uber drivers.

  22. Kaltern

    New Amazon delivery system just announced.

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Motobot racing

    Finally, people could go to a motorsport event and NOT feel guilty about wanting to see crashes and spills!

    (You know you do)

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon
      Unhappy

      Re: Motobot racing

      I remember seeing a crash at Snetterton where the bike somersaulted a dozen times before disappearing over the hedge.

      It made me feel sick and worried, not happy.

      Speak for yourself.

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Motorcycle racing.

    All we need now is a robot audience and humans could be entirely freed from the tedium of the events.

  25. Paul Smith

    The Point

    The point is to learn.

    The dynamics and engineering of such a simple machine as a motorbike is stunningly complex, and most things are done the way they are because they work, not because we understand why they work. If they can get this 'bot to lap a circuit consistently, then they can objectively measure the consequence of change, and that will allow innovation to leap forward.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like