We’ve seen our fair share of news regarding self-driving cars last year and NVIDIA even got in the game at CES 2017. What we haven’t seen is more advances in motorcycle tech. Today, Honda unveiled a little project they’ve been working on that will make riding a little easier for beginners — a self-balancing motorcycle. Equipped with what the Japanese company is calling, Riding Assist, the motorcycle counters the effects of gravity by using an electronic steer-by-wire system. At a speed of 5kph, the handlebar will disengage from the front forks and the on-board computer on the bike will begin to control the front wheel to keep the bike standing. The angles of the front forks will also adjust to drop the body of the bike to lower its center of gravity.
Aside from this neat little feature, the video below also shows the bike following one of Honda’s personnel out of the building after a little tap on the front fender.
While most people are probably more than capable of keeping their balance while riding or maneuvering their motorcycles on their own strength, Honda’s advances definitely make for an interesting future for motorcycles. Perhaps, this tech can even be used to prevent nasty spills at higher speeds. Â There’s no word if Honda’s Riding Assist will make it onto their consumer motorcycles for now, but you’ve got to admit that’s pretty cool.
