Consumer Electronics Show, abbreviated to CES, is a convention held in Las Vegas at the start of the year. Showcased is technology that you will see in the near future. And specifically, technology that will raise eyebrows. From foldable LG TVs to computers stored in a data center, this is definitely the place to be if you’re a technology enthusiast. But one of the obvious highlights of the event this year was from Yamaha – known by some for their production of pianos like this one on Amazon – they showcased the Yamaha MOTOROiD bike.
At first glance, you’ll immediately notice that this bike isn’t any ordinary motorbike. As seen at the Tokyo Motor show last October, this bike not only self-balances, but it also has facial recognition and hand gesture recognition. You can tell it to approach you just by hand gestures alone, and it will follow on its own.
The auto-balance control systems, called AMCES, brought to life the ambitions of the developers despite its difficulties to execute. Batteries on the bike act as a counter-balance when the bike is tipped over, acting like an inverse pendulum. The bike can completely roam around a certain space unmanned, pushing the concept of automation even further.
Like in most phones, facial recognition can also play a part in this machine. Two cameras that are set up in front of the bike are used to recognize faces, and hand gestures. It was demonstrated in CES that the bike will not respond to any faces it doesn’t recognize, staying in a slanted, dormant state. If it does recognize your face, it will immediately start balancing itself upright, awaiting your command. The video below is from a different event.
So far, only a few commands were showcased during the event, but it already shows how much advancements in technology took place. Waving your hands to tell bike to come over does just that. It starts approaching you as it stays balanced all throughout. The shooing gesture makes the bike go back, retaining its posture, and stop gesture halts the bike from its tracks.
Riding the bike is said to bring an experience of “Kando”, a deep spiritual satisfaction in Japanese culture. It isn’t going to be on the market anytime soon, but its concept is going to help advancements in the future of AI driving.
