Yamaha launches "RevTranslator" smartphone app

Yamaha Motor Co. today announced the launch of the English version of an innovative smartphone application – ‘RevTranslator’ that ‘translates’ engine sounds of bikes into over 100 million different combinations of preset phrases to make the bike communicate to the rider. The can be downloaded free-of-charge on smartphones via App Store and Google Play starting today.

As bike enthusiasts know, vehicles can have good and bad days, just like humans do. The only issue is that we can’t always tell what exactly they are trying to tell us and how they feel. ‘RevTranslator’ is an innovative smartphone app that purports to supply riders with a translation of what their beloved bikes are saying. The English version follows the Japanese version that was launched first and has already become huge success in Japan.

‘RevTranslator’ requires a smartphone sound recorder to record the engine’s sound and understand the bike’s speed, the time of the day, weather and other complex information. Basis this information, it communicates back with one of over 100 million preset phrases. The engine’s translated “emotions” vary depending on the engine sound, the time of day and the weather.

The users can choose from six different characters to represent the bike, including a ‘cool’ male character or a ‘cute’ female—the responses evaluated to be communicated are influenced by these personalities. Every time the user translates, the user can also accumulate points by using the application to unlock rare caricatures of various Yamaha products used worldwide while having fun hearing the engine “talk”.

“Revs your Heart” is the global Yamaha Motor group’s brand slogan. The word “revs” carries meanings like the revs of an engine, causing excitement and getting worked up into a state of excitement. This slogan carries Yamaha Motor’s desire to bring exciting moments to our customers like the rising revs of an engine. The development of the “RevTranslator” is a part of this desire and the company hope that its customers will get a new perspective to engines and the sounds they make by using this application.