Back in 2018, BMW unveiled a self-driving motorcycle that ripped the pavement with riderless curves and shimmies.
Part of the iconic German automaker's Motorrad series, the safety technology in its self-riding R1200GS has been brewing for two years, with a goal of stabilizing motorcycles during "critical riding situations," mimicking popular car functions such as hitting the brakes to avoid accidents.
Other functions it can perform include accelerating, steering, and stopping, all using a series of electro-mechanical actuators.
"The prototype helps us to expand our knowledge about the vehicle's dynamics so that we can classify the rider's behavior and determine if a future situation will become dangerous or not," said Motorrad safety engineer Stefan Hans. "If so, we can inform, warn or intervene directly."
The bike will be used to develop new safety systems aimed at supporting inattentive drivers. No word on what, if any, features will be passed on to BMW's standard motorcycles.
This post was originally published on October 30, 2018.
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