Fresh as an MBA graduate, in the very early days of Asphalt & Rubber, I had an interview with a prominent Fortune 500 company that was well-known for its 100 year plan.
This was a topic of conversation during my job interview, as I found it intriguing that a company could even pretend to predict what the world will look like in 100 years.
To find the arrogance in this notion, imagine the trying to predict things like social media, cell phones, the internet, automobiles, commercial flying, and space travel…all at the turn of the 20th century.
With the rate of change we have seen in the past 100 years, apply that same trend to the next 100 years, and you will see how futile such a prediction can be. What don’t know what we don’t know, in this regard.
So, it’s with some amusement that we share with you today BMW Motorrad’s vision for motorcycling in the next 100 years.
The German brand calls its the BMW Motorrad VISION NEXT 100, and says that the concept “embodies the BMW Group’s vision of biking in a connected world – an analogue experience in a digital age.”
BMW sees motorcycles as the “great escape” from an increasingly digitized and automated world, offering us something visceral and real in a reality that is growing increasingly virtual.
That doesn’t mean that the VISION NEXT 100 comes without high-tech components. BMW envisions a Jarvis-like “digital companion” on the futuristic motorcycle, though insists that it remains in the background, and makes its presence known only when needed.
Other advancements include a chassis that flexes to turn, instead of using joints and seams. The rigidity of the chassis changes as the velocity increases, making it easy to turn at slow speeds, and increasingly more difficult to turn at faster speeds.
Suspension damping is provided by the large tires, whose variable tread adjusts to suit the ground conditions – adapting dynamically to the road grip.
The BMW Motorrad VISION NEXT 100 is self-balancing, which means the bike not only stays upright when you park it, but the system also serves as type of stability control when the motorcycle is in motion.
BMW actually sees a future where electronics are so advanced that they make wearing protective gear superfluous. Thus, riding apparel centers around comfort, not safety.
In lieu of a helmet, a rider wears a visor that has an integrated heads-up display (HUD). This provides the bulk of the bike’s informational systems, and allows access to the digital companion.
Of course, the machine produces no emissions, and its triangular aesthetic calls back to the original BMW motorcycle, the 1923 BMW R32. Is it the future? That remains to be seen.
We can already see great changes coming for the transportation world, with the advent of vehicle-to-vehicle communications and autonomous machines. How will motorcycle exist in this near-future world? How will they exist in the world that comes after it? Time of course will tell.
Source: BMW Motorrad
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