The first unmanned motorcycle is a reality [VIDEO]

Motorcycle Without Rider– After driverless cars, the turn of motorbikes could come. The technology to build them already exists, as demonstrated by the first miniature model created by Eric Unnervick, a student from the Polytechnic University of Lausanne (EPFL) who intends to throw down the challenge to real pilots by developing a fully automatic two-wheeler in capable of beating them on the track.

For the moment, the performance obtained with the miniature model seems to be promising. The vehicle is already capable of traveling autonomously: it is sufficient to indicate the destination to be reached, for the motorbike to tackle the route alone at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour without ever falling. Something that is not at all trivial, as Unnervick explains. “Motorcycles fall as soon as they stop and that's why they always have to maintain a certain speed. The only way to stabilize them is to use the steering angle, controlled by a servo motor".

While riding, the rider's brain and wrist are replaced by a small computer and a network of sensors that measure the bike's lean angle and speed. Thanks to a Wifi chip, the operator can start the computer from his smartphone and then use a remote control to set the destination: the computer, in total autonomy, will make the necessary adjustments to keep the vehicle upright along the route.

Since the unmanned motorcycle still requires little human input, researchers at the automatics laboratory at the Polytechnic University of Lausanne are already working on a new version capable of moving along pre-established paths. ”Our goal is to win a race against a traditional bike ridden by a rider.” – concludes Unnervick.