Do a wheelie hands-free with this self-driving motorbike!
dubai — Imagine doing the wheelie or wheelstand (getting the front wheel of your motorbike off the ground) hands-free. Impossible? No, says Denmark-based tech company Nerve, which is developing a self-driving motorcycle.
To back up their claim, the Danish company showcased the Autonomous Street Racer, a customised Honda CBR600 e-bike which can reach speed of up to 300km/h, at the second International Conference on Future Mobility in Dubai on Monday.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Klaus Nissen Petersen, creator of the selfbalancing motorbike and senior vehicle developer at Nerve, said: “People drive motorcycles because it is their passion — they want to be in control. It is important not to take that passion away from them. But what we are selling is a safety system to help them drive better.
“We are not building cars; what we are selling is a platform for the future of autonomous vehicles. Like apps on your phone, we are building an OS which can be implemented across different vehicle brands,” added Petersen, who is a self-confessed moto-e drag racer.
Its self-balancing is made possible by three radar sensors (one on each side and one on the rear) and two front cameras which can detect objects around it.
What makes the seven-gear ebike exceptional is that it holds the world’s fastest acceleration record in its class, covering 0-201 metres in 6.8 seconds. It also accelerates from 0-100Km/h in 2.4 seconds and it can reach speed of up to 300km/h. Since Nerve is not into mass-producing e-bikes, the Danish maker said they are building only five bikes and the cost of one will set someone back at $3m (Dh11m).
The e-bike was developed into becoming autonomous early this year and there are still some features which needed to be finetuned like working on high speed, Petersen said.
“But it will be on the road in the next two years,” Petersen said. “We are already accepting orders and it can be highly customised.”