The world's first aerial motorcycle-drone was made in Great Britain, which will appeal to all fans of the movie "Star Wars". It is reported that its inventor, Australian Chris Malloy, has already put the drone on sale to fund work to create a prototype of a manned version of the hoverbike. Chris Malloy presented his unusual drone on the famous Kickstarter website, which is designed to collect voluntary donations for a variety of scientific and creative projects.
Air motorcycle, which is called a hoverbike, got its name from the addition of two English words: hover (flight) and bike (motorcycle). The result is something like a "flying motorcycle", but this name is the most accurate and conveys the whole essence of this invention. Today, such devices are being developed on both sides of the Atlantic. From the outside, this invention most of all resembles a vehicle from the popular science fiction movie saga "Star Wars". It was on such a flying motorcycle that all the main characters of the narrative cut across Tatooine. But in the present earthly invention, a different technology is used instead of the anti-gravity cushion.
2 or 4 duct fans are used to get the hoverbike up into the air. This technology has long been not a secret for specialists - it was precisely this technology that was used in the development of "flying" hovercraft in the middle of the 20th century. At the same time, initially 4 fans were used in the design of the devices in order to extinguish the undesirable effects that arose when using rotary transport. For example, when moving in a straight line, such a device can turn in the direction of rotation of a working screw. Helicopter technicians are familiar with this effect. Pilots are even specially trained for such "surprises" so that they can easily cope with unwanted changes in the aircraft's course, using both mechanical controls and electrical stabilization systems.
It is reported that the hoverbike created by Chris is 3 times smaller than the prototype for the pilot and significantly lighter than it. The drone is just over one meter long and weighs only about three kilograms with batteries. Another fundamental difference is the use of an electric motor on it. It is planned to install a motor on a real hoverbike, which will be similar to a motorcycle one. In this case, the principle of operation of the two devices is completely the same. The machine is equipped with four rotors, which are designed to create lift.
The drone is able to fly at a speed of 70 km / h, and is also capable of lifting up to 7 kg of various cargo. This motorcycle helicopter is controlled by an ordinary remote control. According to its creator, the flight altitude of its unmanned vehicle is limited by local air traffic regulations and the range of the remote control. In addition to the drone itself, you can purchase a "robotic pilot" printed on a 3D printer. At the same time, his only useful function will be shooting from a bird's eye view using a high-resolution video camera installed in his head. Due to the fact that the drone has a low power, it is suitable only for high-speed delivery of small parcels or for panoramic photography. According to Denis Fedutinov, an expert on unmanned systems, a drone hoverbike may well serve as a courier, including for the military.
Malloy's main hopes are in the future manned version of his brainchild, which will combine the qualities of a motorcycle and a helicopter. For the sake of realizing his idea, an engineer from Australia even decided to move to England, where one private investor helped him organize production. At the same time, the money from the sale of the drone Malloy is going to send to complete the design work on the project and conduct full-fledged tests.
According to the designer, his hoverbike will allow a completely new look at flying. Having received the third dimension due to the ability to descend and ascend, a low-flying single-seat vehicle will receive very high maneuverability and cross-country ability. According to the engineer, his hoverbike will weigh about 270 kg and will be able to reach speeds of up to 200 km / h. Over time, he expects to increase the power of this product. However, the statements about the maximum speed seem to be rather overstated so far. Earlier, the Californian company Aerofex also spoke about the planned speed of 200 km / h, but gradually began to operate with much more mundane figures.
It's worth noting that fans of the Star Wars saga have had a lot of news for a long time. A real human-driven hoverbike could be ready by 2017. Its development is carried out in the USA by the Aerofex company. According to representatives of this Californian company, the serial version of the air motorcycle will be able to reach a speed of 72 km / h and will rise above the ground to a height of 3.6 meters. This is not the first such aircraft of this company. Earlier in 2012, a sample of the Aerofex hoverbike was already presented to the public. During the tests, which were carried out in the Mojave Desert, this aircraft managed to reach a maximum speed of 50 km / h and a flight altitude of 4.5 meters.
The company's promised new vehicle shares a lot of similarities with the flying motorcycles from Star Wars. In fact, this is an analogue of a motorcycle, but on an air cushion. According to the developers, it will be possible to learn how to manage such a tool in just 2-3 days. At the same time, the creators of the device based it on the concept, according to which a person can quickly adapt to a given hoverbike model, if he had previously been behind the wheel of an ordinary motorcycle.
The novelty has received the designation Aero-X. It should be noted that this hoverbike is not only entertainment for the layman and Star Wars fans. According to the developers, their model may interest people as a reliable and reliable means of transportation over difficult terrain. The model may well be of interest to rescuers and border guards. It is reported that the duration of the Aero-X flight will be up to 1.5 hours, and ordinary gasoline will be used as fuel. At the same time, the hoverbike will have the following overall dimensions - 4.5 meters in length, 2 meters in width and 1.25 meters in height. The total weight of the device will be about 365 kg.
According to Aerofex, a model of their flying motorcycle will be available for pre-order in 2017. At the same time, the start of testing of serial models of the device should begin in 2016. It is reported that the price of this vehicle will be 85 thousand dollars. To confirm the seriousness of your intentions to buy a hoverbike, you will need to pay a deposit of 5 thousand dollars, which will be included in the total cost of the product.
