How many of you watched Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and wished you had a speeder bike like the ones Luke and Leia race through the forests of Endor? Well, you may not have to wait much longer. California-based tech company Aerofex has released a video of it new bike, which flies over the ground thanks to two large fans. Test flights so far have been limited to 30 mph, so while it might not be ready for a high-speed chase through the forest, it still looks pretty awesome!
Aerofex’s hover bike has been in development for several years, but it is only recently that the project has made several significant breakthroughs. The company has released several test-flight videos which show it fully functioning over a dry lake bed in a desert.
Keeping the hover bike above the ground are two large ducted fans. Rather like a fast motorcycle, the rider steers by leaning from side to the other. It was part of the project’s goals to create a natural-feeling riding experience. Previously, the company had problems with the vehicle’s stability, however that has now been fixed thanks to the inclusion of a control bar at the the users knee level. This allows the pilot to lean and balance the vehicle and keep it airborne.
While the vehicle doesn’t quite have the maneuverability of a Star Wars speeder bike, it is capable of a top speed of 30 mph and can reach a maximum height of 15 feet. Currently, the hover vehicle is being tested in California’s Mojave Desert, so hopefully it won’t be long before the rest of us get to ride on one of these cool gizmos!
via CNET News
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kinda big and clunky!! seems like a fuel eater too and not so handy. back to the drawing board fellas.
Gee with fuel nearing 5 bucks a gallon this thing is a wast of time and fuel to run it. The reason is it’s going to take about 75 to 100 HP to get this thing off the ground and that put the fuel burn at 7 to 10 gallons per hour. I can do anything this thing can do with any of the Sevtec SEVs. And do it with two to five people on board and on at least half the fuel…
Then come the question what happens when the engine quits and you are over water… Speaking of water how much spray is this thing going to kick up when you fly over water… I’m not even going to go into all the design issues I see… things like CG and CL come to mind right off the bat… I have to question how stable this thing is.. One moment you are riding it and the next it’s riding you…
No engineering, flight, or other classes required. I’m pretty sure I designed more stable bikes ten years ago in high school. Shrouded fans positioned higher, to use the weight of the engine as a ballast. Not to mention this Aerofex bikes complete lack of a propulsion system, unless you count leaning, what the hell is the drivers seat doing 3′ above the center of gravity? Was awkward slow mobility the goal here? This bike has been in the works for years? Who at Aerofex has convinced his supervisor to allow the dumping of more than two hours into two fans an engine and a terribly thought out design?
Where are the laser cannons??
Can I mow my grass with it?
That looks like it would be a lot of fun. However I think I would make the fans counter-rotating to overcome the torque issue, as well as improving maneuverability.