This article was published on October 28, 2015

Yamaha built a motorcycle-riding robot (but don’t worry, it’s no DARPA… yet)


Are you tired of high speed chase scenes featuring human actors? Booooring. Yamaha has come up with something more peculiar: a humanoid robot that can drive one of its racing motorcycles.

Displayed on the floor of the 44th Tokyo Motor Show, the Yamaha Motobot is what you get if DARPA pivoted away from killer robo-dogs and went full Fast and Furious. Gizmag found it at the Yamaha booth sporting a 1000cc R1M motorbike.

A brief press release describes robot as part of Yamaha’s Research and Development projects, and the company wants it to be able to autonomously drive as fast as 200 kilometers per hour.

“I am Motobot,” it says in Yamaha’s concept video. “I was created to surpass you.” Cue dramatic music.

Watch as it accelerates and breaks.

motobot

And effortlessly zooms down a racetrack across the mountainous backdrop.

motobot drive

So far, it looks like Motobot still needs training wheels. We’re also not sure what to make of the video’s title, “To The Doctor.” What kind of medical emergency is this?

motobot wheels

Honestly, this dude’s reaction says it all.

bleg

What will Motobot be used for? Probably just marketing, really, but the team says that by building the humanoid, they will learn more about “advanced rider safety and rider-support systems” to construct even better vehicles for speed demons.

But for now, a robot who puts your motorcycle maneuvering skills to shame.

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