The makers of Castrol synthetic oil have brought us one step closer to Judgment Day with their robotic motorcycle tester. Named Flossie, the mechanical test rider can reproduce exacting tests on virtually any bike on a dynamometer by “learning” how to ride it.
Dyno runs are often a noisy affair, and when you’re Castrol, you need to test your product in extreme temperatures, which isn’t exactly conducive to the human condition. That’s where Flossie comes in. The robot can withstand the heat, cold, noise, and reputition of hours of throttle twisting in any environmental condition. Flossie also has the built-in capability of learning any motorcycle, scooter, Buell, etc you set him on: throttle sensitivity, clutch drag, shifting patterns, etc., are all grasped and comprehended just as a human rider would getting on a bike for the first time.
Even more important for Castrol, Flossie can reproduce these tests with exacting reproducibility, thus reducing any human error in running a bike through its paces. Not bad, but does it dream of electronic sheep?
Source: Castrol via Faster & Faster
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