Robots
Flossie, the Castrol robotic motorcycle 'rider'...
Flossie, the robotic test rider. Photo courtesy of Castrol.
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Flossie, the Castrol robotic motorcycle rider...
Flossie, the Castrol robotic motorcycle 'rider'...: Photo courtesy of and copyright by Castrol
The uber-techs at Castrol have been hard at work perfecting a bad-ass robotic test "rider". Well, it doesn't really ride, but it can sit atop the motorcycle and do all the throttle, clutch, and shift actions that a human rider does.
Among the many stated benefits:
- Flossie can be fitted onto any bike or scooter for testing on a chassis dynamometer.
- Flossie can act like a new rider, learning how to operate all the controls, gaining proficiency over time.
- Flossie will perform the same gear change or the same acceleration time after time.
- Flossie doesn't get tired or saddle sore
- Flossie doesn’t mind the excruciating noise of the bike in the chamber as its engine screams away
- Flossie doesn't worry about riding in extremes of temperature
- And, most importantly, Flossie is a safe rider
(Source: Castrol)
Of course, I think this is complete bull. Castrol engineers built Flossie because it was just a wickedly-cool looking 'bot!
Here's a short YouTube video showing Flossie in action and one of the techs giving background details...
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