Yamaha (L. Siekierski/Bigstock.com)

While there has been much talk in recent years about the driverless car, similarly autonomous technology has been absent from the world of motorcycles.

At least, that was the case until last week, when Yamaha revealed its new motorcycle riding robot at the Tokyo Motor Show.

This technology, however, begs the question – could we one day be riding pillion with a household robot in charge of our motorbike? As far as most motorcyclists are concerned, this would ruin the object of two-wheel transportation: enjoying being alone – and free – on the open road.

So what is this robot meant to achieve? Yamaha tells us its main goal is to beat MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi. But the technologies will also help the Japanese company with its future product development and testing.

Whatever you think of this new twist in the coming world of autonomous transportation, it's nothing if not impressive.

Onlookers have been stunned by the very human way the robot straddles the Yamaha YZF-R1M. The 'Motobot' is able to control the steering, front brake, rear brake, throttle, clutch and gearshift pedal. It reacts to track conditions by analysing data from sensors that read speed and engine RPM, among other information.

Could a robot one day compete against the legendary Rossi? We may not have to wait long to find out. But precisely how this robotic technology will affect the rest of the motorcycle community may not become clear for much longer.