San Jose

World's First MotoBot, Social Robots Wow at Robotics Convention in Silicon Valley

“Finally, the enemy has been defeated,” a toddler-sized robot announces to a captive audience inside the convention center in downtown San Jose as it enacts a scene from Star Wars.

A few seconds later, it dances to "Thriller," takes a tumble, but gets back on its feet and belts out a song. It’s a social robot, one that will even read you your email, and make cute conversation if you want it to.

Nearby, the world’s first MotoBot, or motorcycle robot, perched on a Yamaha YZF-R1M, does a great job of making regular motorcyclists seem pretty insignificant. Even as it sits still. Next door, crowds gawk at a sea drone bot and a $75,000 military tank robot that can be deployed to fight wars.[[395199761, C]]

Welcome to RoboBusiness, billed as the most important robotics conference in the world. If there’s a robotics trend you want to see, show off or geek out on, this is the place to be.[[395189651, C]]

Everyone and everything from DARPA to NASA to AI showed up at the two day event that took place from Sept. 28 to 29 in Silicon Valley, itself the birthplace of many of the incredible new technology on display on the expo floor.[[395198921, C]]

According to Tom Green, editor-in-chief of Robotic Business Review, 2017 to 2020 might be the most important years in robotics history. Sales of Industrial robots were at an all-time high in 2016, and the amount of venture capital pouring into robotics research has tripled since last year.

This year, highlights included personal robots, exoskeletons, sensors, and pretty much autonomous everything – including of course the MotoBot, a joint venture between Yamaha and SRI International.

“It’s the first time anybody’s created a humanoid robot that can ride an unmodified sport bike,” said Thomas Low, SRI’s robotics program director. “Together we are trying to create speeds that will be competitive with the world’s top motorcycle riders.” And capabilities that are beyond human.

The best part, MotoBot can ride any motorcycle. It works just like a human rider, and controls the brake, clutch, throttle and the shifter with its internal sensors.

The MotoBot’s top speed is 187 mph, and it has already conducted test laps at the Alameda naval base, with spectacular views of the Bay Area serving as the backdrop. MotoBot’s creators have more than autonomous driving in mind – they envision it becoming a tester for high-speed bikes, measuring performance. “As MotoBot learns how to race very very quickly, it begins to feel things,” Low said.[[395479621, C]]

SRI isn’t divulging how much one of these will cost — yet.

A few booths down, AMS was displaying how their sensors work on Nao, a social robot. AMS’s magnetic sensors help robots with motor control, so that they can move like humans. As Nao danced to Michael Jackson’s "Thriller," a small crowd gathered around it and started clapping. It’s safe to say that one day in the not-so-distant future, people will be lining up and paying big bucks to take Nao and his brothers home.

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