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BMW made a self-driving motorcycle

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Re: BMW made a self-driving motorcycle

#4
BMW apparently wants to start by just helping to cut down on the most avoidable accidents.

The most avoidable accidents are not operator dependent:

- the “one party is going straight and the other is turning left at a four way” accident which is so common it has its own acronym: SMIDSY (Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See Ya)

- right hook at an intersection

That said, if BMW can do things like stabilizing the lean-in when you go into a turn hotter than planned and fail to commit, that might be nice. The solution is “push harder into the turn”, but it’s easy to be scared of this and thus go wide instead.

Re: BMW made a self-driving motorcycle

#5
Why buy a self-driving motorcycle?

I understand self-driving cars, some people really enjoy the idea of doing things in a moving pod (trains and buses are too lower class for them?), but a BMW motorcycle is something you buy because you like the idea of piloting an engine while being exposed to air and the elements, battling physics and -unless you bought a BMW because you want to show off- owning a vehicle that can be very reliable on extremely rough terrain.

Re: BMW made a self-driving motorcycle

#6
post #5

Why buy a self-driving motorcycle? I understand self-driving cars, some people really enjoy the idea of doing things in a moving pod (trains and buses are too lower class for them?), but a BMW motorcycle is something you buy because you like the idea of piloting an engine while being exposed to air and the elements, battling physics and -unless you bought a BMW because you want to show off- owning a vehicle that can…

Same argument can be made for automatic transmission on a bike. People dont like it but rather than enjoying the ride, there is also joy of commuting easily. So, while this doesnt make sense now, someone will want it.

Re: BMW made a self-driving motorcycle

#7
post #5

Why buy a self-driving motorcycle? I understand self-driving cars, some people really enjoy the idea of doing things in a moving pod (trains and buses are too lower class for them?), but a BMW motorcycle is something you buy because you like the idea of piloting an engine while being exposed to air and the elements, battling physics and -unless you bought a BMW because you want to show off- owning a vehicle that can…

Trains and buses do have their flaws.

Both have a defined start and end time, and place that they pick up and drop off. Additionally both don't have the best coverage, especially outside of large cities, and then not all of them either. Also Trains can be more expensive than driving.

Completely agree with you about the reasons to buy a motorbike. I'm not convinced that people would pay for this. I would certainly be concerned if I was on a bike that started to do stuff without me. Riding a motorbike is more interactive than driving a car.

I could see them displaying more info for a rider, maybe some sort of HUD in the helmet. Like, a red light to a side that a vehicle is on as a warning not to overtake. Though I'm not convinced this would be better than just being aware of your surroundings.

Re: BMW made a self-driving motorcycle

#8
post #5

Why buy a self-driving motorcycle? I understand self-driving cars, some people really enjoy the idea of doing things in a moving pod (trains and buses are too lower class for them?), but a BMW motorcycle is something you buy because you like the idea of piloting an engine while being exposed to air and the elements, battling physics and -unless you bought a BMW because you want to show off- owning a vehicle that can…

Near the end of the video they explain. It's not meant to be a fully autonomous motorcycle. It's a passive system so that the motorcycle can take over if it needs to.

Re: BMW made a self-driving motorcycle

#9

BMW apparently wants to start by just helping to cut down on the most avoidable accidents. The most avoidable accidents are not operator dependent: - the “one party is going straight and the other is turning left at a four way” accident which is so common it has its own acronym: SMIDSY (Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See Ya) - right hook at an intersection That said, if BMW can do things like stabilizing the lean-in when you g…

Crash is a better term than accident [0].

> the “one party is going straight and the other is turning left at a four way” accident

A self-driving motorcycle would solve that problem, because where as a motorcyclists vision is significantly impaired from the helmet, detection systems on the bike can be looking in all directions

[0]: https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2015/09/why-we-say-ca...

Re: BMW made a self-driving motorcycle

#10
post #5

Why buy a self-driving motorcycle? I understand self-driving cars, some people really enjoy the idea of doing things in a moving pod (trains and buses are too lower class for them?), but a BMW motorcycle is something you buy because you like the idea of piloting an engine while being exposed to air and the elements, battling physics and -unless you bought a BMW because you want to show off- owning a vehicle that can…

Shared space will always be "lesser good" than private space. You don't behave, feel, enjoy things the same way in a shared space.
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