Driverless cars are swiftly emerging, and we are somewhat apprehensive about it as it is. Just as we are trying to settle into the idea of it, BMW decided it was time to hit us with self-driving motorbikes. At BMW’s TechDay event last year, they unveiled their first self-driving motorbikes: a riderless BMWR1200 GS.

The company showed a video of a self-driving motorcycle released by its two-wheeler division, BMW Motorrad. The recklessness of motorcycle riders, as well as the higher rate of death behind the wheel, might be the niche for this invention.

The autonomous motorcycle developed by engineer Stefan Hans and his team can independently ride off, accelerate and circle a winding test track. It can also kick out a stand before coming to a steady stop.

However, BMW has stated that despite the prototype, it is not a fully-autonomous motorcycle. It will expectedly serve as a model for future technological development by the company. The idea of innovation was to make a motorcycle safer and more comfortable.

The self-driving bike will have features that will let it gather data that will enable it to detect potential danger. The technology will help support riders in the future through advanced safety system. For instance, it’ll help when turning at an intersection or the abrupt need to come to a halt.

BMW Motorrad has also revealed many more innovative technology projects to refine the motorcycle safety technology. Laser headlights, 3D printed motorcycle frame and swingarm. BMW is aiming to show how digitisation is changing the future of the motorcycle industry. The main aim of the motorcycle is to make riders safer. The company admits it had been working on the technology for more than two years prior to the reveal.