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Yamaha Wins IDEA Gold for MOTOROiD Concept (with video)


Although the concept has been around for a couple of years, Yamaha has just announced that its MOTOROiD has won an IDEA Gold award for design excellence. The MOTOROiD, discussed in the following press release and illustrated in the following video, is a futuristic motorcycle which is self-balancing, can recognize its owner, and even caresses him/her. Are you ready for this?  Here is the press release followed by the video:

IWATA, September 20, 2018 Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announced today that its MOTOROiD has received the ultimate “Gold” honor at the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition in the U.S., one of the most prestigious global design awards. The MOTOROiD concept model attracted much attention when exhibited at the likes of the 45th Tokyo Motor Show 2017 and CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2018. This selection represents Yamaha Motor’s first-ever IDEA Gold award. The 2018 IDEA awards, the 38th running of the competition, attracted a record number of more than 1,870 entries from around the world. A total of 145 winners were honored across the Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels. This achievement marks the second design award received by the MOTOROiD, following on from the “Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2018” competition “Best of the Best” honor.

The MOTOROiD concept model aims to demonstrate personal mobility in which the rider resonates harmoniously with the machine. Equipped with high-precision balance control via artificial intelligence and autonomous technology, the MOTOROiD can sense its own state and adjust its center of gravity accordingly to stand up off its kickstand and remain upright unassisted. It can also recognize its owner and move forward to meet him/her, as well as react based on its rider’s actions thanks to its human-machine interface (HMI). These, among several other functions, allow MOTOROiD to behave like a true partner for its owner. MOTOROiD inspires a vision of future mobility that takes vehicles beyond simple “tools for movement.”

However, the exterior is deliberately far from flashy. The frame retains clear traces of the cuts made to create it, the body is marked with unvarnished scars here and there, and the tires are worn to the point that even the tread grooves are nearly gone. The designers and engineers wanted to show the public what their repeated creative clashes gave birth to in unaltered form. The MOTOROiD was created from scratch in order to embody the possibilities of technology and function.

Hosted by the Industrial Designers Society of America, the IDEA Awards are one of the most prestigious global design competitions. Judging is conducted from various perspectives, such as innovativeness, user experience, and aesthetics, with designs of outstanding quality selected in a range of categories, such as Automotive & Transportation, Furniture & Lighting, Medical & Health, and Commercial & Industrial. The iF Design Award, the Red Dot Award, and the IDEA Awards are considered to be the global top three design competitions.


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33 Comments

  1. Mr D says:

    A bike that grabs your ass and holds it down? This can not be wise could it? It’s like the A.I. is saying, “here’s the deal human. you mess up, I’m taking you with me!”

  2. Hdpape says:

     has received the ultimate Gold  honor at the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition in the U.S., one of the most prestigious global design awards. The 

  3. steveinsandiego says:

    expletive deleted

  4. edbob says:

    Will appear soon after the equally famous Nikken

  5. Dman says:

    Meanwhile in Aragon, Valentino qualifies behind Karel Abraham. Come on Yamaha, get your priorities straight.

  6. gutterslob says:

    Nothing against the bike (or the idea, at least, execution is another story), but Yamaha’s PR/marketing department needs a serious overhaul. This was cringey to the max, and I speak Japanese, so they can’t give me the usual “lost in translation” excuse either.

  7. Pat's Bat says:

    By the time I am being lovingly fondled by my own production model Yamaha Motoroid as I lane split past self driving cars, all the grumpy old men from the Motorcycle Daily comment section will have passed on. Sorry gramps but the future looks (and feels) good!

  8. Delmartian says:

    C’mon, we’re all being punked, right ? Where’s the camera guys ? Some of the comments below are absolutely hilarious.

    verb. To get punked is to have a joke played on you, often in a public setting. An example of punked is to have been tricked by a hidden camera TV show. Another example would a normally reputable company trying to make you believe that a MOTOROiD is some sort of motorcycle from the future.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Motoroid, hemorrhoid, same pain.

  10. Tommy See says:

    For 2020 oops 2030 or coming soon to your local YeeHaw
    Yammy Dealer !
    Now this will be a 3 FLAGS CLASSIC ride !

  11. Stuki Moi says:

    In all honesty, the blurb about it resonating with the owner, combined with what looks like an air intake right where a hunched over rider’s seat would be, made me wonder if it was methane powered…….

  12. spokes says:

    When I have to look twice to figure out which end is the front…

    Secondly, all the money Yamaha spent on this would have been better spent on MotoGP. If Rossi and Vinales start winning again Yamaha will sell all the bikes it can make without these Avant Garde styling and engineering “exercises.”

    • MotoMaster39 says:

      MotoGP, lol! If someone from Honda could teach Yamaha what the word ergonomics means, every other manufacterer would be in serious trouble.

      I don’t have much experience with their streetbikes, but the riding position on their dirtbikes feels akward compared to other brands. Their power output is usually class leading, but the cramped ergos make it feel like you’re liable to endo off every jump.

  13. Grover says:

    Motorcycles do not mix in well with an autonomous future. Better get your motorcycling kicks in now before the gov tells you that you’re no longer able to ride that dinosaur bike of yours on the street.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Is there any way they could make it look more uncomfortable? Asking for a naval base south of Florida.

  15. Bud says:

    Seems that the designers have no idea how a fender works

  16. Anonymous says:

    “The frame retains clear traces of the cuts made to create it, the body is marked with unvarnished scars here and there, and the tires are worn to the point that even the tread grooves are nearly gone. The designers and engineers wanted to show the public what their repeated creative clashes gave birth to in unaltered form.”

    Oh, just stop.

  17. Jeremy in TX says:

    “…can recognize its owner, and even caresses him/her.”

    Born too soon I guess. I always felt a motorcycle would be all I really needed if only… the upcoming generation of riders will get to live the dream.

    • Tom K. says:

      The proper Japanese-to-English translation is “Reacharoundsan”. Obviously, it’s a non-binary design.

  18. Anonymous says:

    And they couldn’t put an electric starter on the SR400.

  19. RonH says:

    Intrigued by the two wheel steering. Counter-steering rear end would make cornering tight.

  20. Tom K. says:

    But can it cross the desert to fetch Jamie, and bring him back to the soda machine with change for Flo?
    “It’s OK, you don’t have to say I’m your best friend too”

  21. Nick says:

    Or I could just walk over to my bike and get on it. Let go Bike!!

  22. Mick says:

    Cool bike.

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