Japanese robot can ride a bike

• TOKYO - A Japanese company has unveiled a robot which can ride a bike.
• Murata Manufacturing demonstrated the robot Tuesday at the 2005 Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technology at Makuhari Messe, outside Tokyo.
• --------------------------------------------------------------------------------The firm developed an earlier version of a bike-riding robot back in 1990, but the latest version can stop without falling over.
• When stationary, the robot keeps its balance by changing the rotation speed of a disc-shaped weight and controlling the inclination.
• During one demonstration, it successfully rode and stopped on an inch-wide (2-centimeter-wide) balance beam.
• Engineers from Murata Manufacturing said the hardest part of creating the robot was getting it to balance on the bike.
• "The whole point of developing a robot that rides a bicycle is to show the technology of balancing in the environment, where keeping your balance is tough," said project engineer Shigeki Fukunaga.
• To solve the problem, Fukunaga said Murata's engineers installed a gyro sensor that detects angular velocity and inclination, then transmits the data to a computer that adjusts the robot's balance.
• Another ultrasonic sensor on the robot's chest measures distance.
• All the robot's movements --- riding forward and backward, as well as stopping --- are controlled by a wireless computer connection.
• The robot can cover as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) per second.
• The company, which manufactures sensors and other electronic components, plans to feature the robot in a TV advertising campaign later this year.