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When Yamaha first revealed the Motoroid electric motorcycle concept roughly six years ago, it looked like a contraption out of a science-fiction movie. Now that Yamaha has presented a new, enhanced Yamaha Motoroid 2, the bizarre self-balancing electric motorcycle appears to be one small, strange step closer to reality.

source-image: yamaha-motor

Yamaha says the Motoroid 2 is an exploration of the question “what will human-machine interfaces actually be like in the future?”The Yamaha Motoroid 2 is intended to be self-balancing and potentially riderless, which means it can drive and balance itself whether or not a human is present.

source-image: yamaha-motor

When functioning without a rider, the bike may follow a person around by using face recognition and gesture control.When the Motoroid 2 slows down for parking, a big centerstand drops down. When the bike decides to roll again, the stand can be raised automatically.

source-image: yamaha-motor

What will human–machine interfaces actually be like in the future? This experimental model melds mobility with intelligent technologies in order to study that question. Yamaha Motor hypothesized that achieving a closer relationship between rider and machine in which they resonate harmoniously with each other like partners would lead to new forms of Jin-Ki Kanno,* and since unveiling the MOTOROiD in 2017, the Company has since continued its R&D into technologies, designs, and more based on that concept.

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As a further evolution of the original MOTOROiD, MOTOROiD2 is also a vehicle for personal mobility that can recognize its owner, get up off its kickstand, and move alongside its rider, but also has a distinctly lifelike feel when somebody is riding on its back and has a presence more like a lifetime companion.

source-image: yamaha-motor

source-image: yamaha-motor

The Active Mass Center Control System (AMCES) for attitude sensing and self-balancing as well as the image recognition AI system for recognizing and reacting to the owner’s face and gestures have both been further refined. Additionally, MOTOROiD2 features a new Leaf structure unlike any motorcycle before, giving the model a chassis specialized for lifelike and complementary reactions to the rider.

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