The fully automotive Motobot was created to ‘surpass’ a human biker’s capabilities. And apparently, that includes Valentino Rossi
“I was created to surpass you”
Fighting words. Haunting words. And potentially ill-advised ones too, given that said words are aimed at MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi.
The latest baffling piece of kit out of Japan (courtesy of Yamaha) has been designed to approach riding ‘from a human rider’s perspective’, its humanoid form capable of adjusting its position on-track as a rider would. Stradling an unmodified Yamaha YZF-R1M, the Motobot reacts to data from internal sensors and uses up to six actuators for steering, throttle, front brake, rear brake, clutch and gearshifting. It’s more than just a great marketing exercise though, Technologies used in the Motobot build will be supplemented into future product development and testing for both improved safety and better performance.
But here’s the big question: can it actually beat the GOAT? Well, since we’ve yet to see it go round a corner, we’ll have to wait and see. One thing’s for sure though, Skynet is getting more powerful with each passing day…
Source – Yamaha Motor Ventures
