Aerofex Hoverbike | US$85,000.00 | www.aerofex.com
well, what do you know? we could be zooming across a variety of terrains with ease on a hovering piece of machine in a not-too-distance future. the concept of a personal air transport powered by dual ducted rotor, layout in fashion similar to a motorbike is not new and apparently such a seemingly crazy (but exciting, no doubt) idea was born as early as in the 1960s. now, a California-based firm Aerofex is working hard to bring it back to life by resolving the issues that the scientists and engineers of the 60s had failed to address. this isn’t our first encounter with a hoverbike but this particular one that Aerofex is revival looks rather promising. well, at least it is moving around like a hoverbike should. as at now, Aerofex is limiting its human flight testing to a height of 4.5 meters (15 feet) and a maximum speed of 48 km/h (30 mph) but that parameters were set for safety reason rather than technical limitation which also means, the potential exists for greater performance – if anyone dares to take it on.
oh, you know what’s the fascinating part about this Aerofex’s iteration? it employs a mechanical system to address the stability issue without the aid of fancy electronics or any complex software. basically, the pilot takes control mechanically guided by his or her own natural sense of balance. this translate to the possibility of operating this aircraft without much training or even none at all. yeah baby, now we are talking. hit the jump for another look and a video for Aerofex Hoverbike in action.
PS: the term ‘hoverbike’ is not the official name of this Aerofex’s flying machine. using ‘hoverbike’ is the easiest reference to something of such nature. just thought we should make things clear.
UPDATE [May 20, 2014; 1:11AM PST] well. the Aerofex Hoverbike (officially, Aero-X) is slated for delivery in 2017. yea. i know. it is kind of a long way to go, but still, the fact is you can be kicking up dust after all and for how much? $85,000. that’s all you need and a place where your local laws don’t forbid hovering machines. and the design appears to be more polished now. [via]
via Geekologie via Live Science
