
Autonomous cars (well, autonomous to a certain level) are nothing new today. Pretty much every car manufacturer in the world (at least among those producing mass produced cars) is developing its own technology. On the other hand, such technologies are quite a rare sight. One of the first manufacturer, experimenting with idea of human driver-less motorbike was Yamaha with Motobot, a robot that could, with a help of small wheels on each side, drive a motor on the racetrack. That was two years ago.
Few days ago on the other hand, BMW has presented its own vision of autonomous motorcycle. Based on endure model, R 1200 GS, they have made a motorcycle, that drives entirely on its own, without the help of the robot in the saddle or any kind of other help. Instead, it entirely relies on its own sensors, so there is no need for additional supporting wheels to help the bike cornering or driving at low speed.
However, while the motorbike works without any problems, there is little hope, that it will enter the production in such or similar form. BMW made it clear, that this is entirely a project, a testing device of some kind that will in the future help with development of assistive technologies for motorcycles. Those will, once on the market, help drivers to avoid difficult situation, however, they will in any way be able to provide autonomous driving mode.