If MARVEL’s Black Panther ever rode a motorbike, this would probably be it.

If it were up to King T’Challa, the MIMIC e-bike would be fitted with vibranium tech, but we’re going to stick to an electric power-train for now. This crouching-jungle-cat of a bike is a concept designed by Roman Dolzhenko. Outfitted with what looks less like a body and more like armor, the MIMIC e-bike comes with a rounded, Tron Light Cycle-inspired form with rounded elements and just an overall absence of straight lines or sharp edges. The e-bike has a dual-lamp headlight fitted on the front, looking almost like a menacing pair of eyes, and a dashboard that lays flush against the e-bike’s curved panther-esque body. Wakanda Forever!

Other noteworthy details include a cantilever seat, inverted handlebars with the brake levers facing the rider, and a three-hexagon logo on both the front and back wheel, a detail that pays tribute to Daniel Simon, designer of the Tron Light Cycle, who uses a similar hexagon insignia to mark his designs.

Designer: Roman Dolzhenko

Chinese androids wear tracksuits, play sports, but not at the same time (video)

Chinese androids wear clothes and play ping-pong, but not at the same time video

When we last caught up with the Beijing Institute's family of bots, their abilities extended to slow (but pretty) tai chi moves. Returning three years later, we see that they're coming along nicely: BHR-4 is still going through the old graceful routines, but now he's wearing a human face and fetching sportswear to look like one of his creators. The 140-pound android beats certain Japanese alternatives by having both a fully-actuated body and a face that can mimic emotions, like surprise and fear when someone tries to give it a decent hair cut. Meanwhile, brother BHR-5 doesn't bother with appearances, but instead has graduated to playing ping-pong in the hope of one day taking on rivals from Zhejiang University. He uses high-speed image processing and 32 degrees of freedom to pull off rallies of up to 200 shots, and he'll do his utmost to impress you in the video after the break.

[Image and video credit: CCTV-4]

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Chinese androids wear tracksuits, play sports, but not at the same time (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 04:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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