Photo: Google
BMW Motorrad has recently unveiled a prototype motorcycle of the future that has been labeled ‘crashproof’ and doesn’t require the rider to wear safety gear. Sounds strange, but how about a car running you over? No worries, says BMW.
BMW’s VISION NEXT 100 concept bike envisions a future motorcycle able to self-balance, aid with leaning and steering input when needed and provide the rider a ton of information to keep him or her virtually safe and not straddle with riding gear anymore.
Sounds awesome, but you might think BMW hasn’t taken in a very important factor - dumb drivers. No worries, though; the Bavarian company says the future cars will make a better job at spotting riders than current drivers do.
In an interview with Australia Financial Review, BMW Motorrad’s head of development Karl Viktor Schaller tells that motorcyclists will have a better future on the roads thanks to fewer people being in control of their vehicles.
“[Autonomous cars] would mean a dramatic enhancement in safety for the motorbike, and it would guarantee a wider user group.” claims Schaller in the interview.
The idea is that when motorcycles and cars will be able to communicate with each other (technology already mentioned by many manufacturers), “we can use that to build an electronic safety cage around a motorbike,” Schaller said.
On a second analysis, this plan might backfire a bit on the biking world. Apart from being safer, autonomous cars will decrease traffic congestion, which in turn could determine more two-wheeled commuters switch back to comfortable metal cages.
Without the benefit of a quicker commute, some riders might choose the lazier way of going around, skipping on riding gear, fighting off the elements or the constant fear their ride might get stolen. This means less new bikes and scooters are getting sold, which in turn could make them even more expensive to generate profit.
Riding could end up as a very costly niche only for people that truly enjoy the sensation of being on two wheels. As Schaller himself said, “We are not about going from A to B; motorbikes are about going from A to A. Our business is pleasure.”
Sounds awesome, but you might think BMW hasn’t taken in a very important factor - dumb drivers. No worries, though; the Bavarian company says the future cars will make a better job at spotting riders than current drivers do.
In an interview with Australia Financial Review, BMW Motorrad’s head of development Karl Viktor Schaller tells that motorcyclists will have a better future on the roads thanks to fewer people being in control of their vehicles.
“[Autonomous cars] would mean a dramatic enhancement in safety for the motorbike, and it would guarantee a wider user group.” claims Schaller in the interview.
The idea is that when motorcycles and cars will be able to communicate with each other (technology already mentioned by many manufacturers), “we can use that to build an electronic safety cage around a motorbike,” Schaller said.
On a second analysis, this plan might backfire a bit on the biking world. Apart from being safer, autonomous cars will decrease traffic congestion, which in turn could determine more two-wheeled commuters switch back to comfortable metal cages.
Without the benefit of a quicker commute, some riders might choose the lazier way of going around, skipping on riding gear, fighting off the elements or the constant fear their ride might get stolen. This means less new bikes and scooters are getting sold, which in turn could make them even more expensive to generate profit.
Riding could end up as a very costly niche only for people that truly enjoy the sensation of being on two wheels. As Schaller himself said, “We are not about going from A to B; motorbikes are about going from A to A. Our business is pleasure.”
Google News