It’s called the Aerofex hover vehicle and it’s very much a real thing. It may not be quite as sleek and compact as its science fiction counterpart, but it is able to travel while flying a few inches off the ground. It does this by using a pair of ducted rotors, generating vertical lift. The interesting thing is that the design for this hover vehicle dates back to the 1960s, but it was abandoned due to stability issues. Aerofex fixed this with two knee-level control bars, relying on the pilot’s natural sense of balance to lean from side to side.

The advantage of being above the ground is obvious enough. If you have wheels, you need to have roads. If you’re going off-road, you need suitable tires and you could easily get stuck. By hovering inches above the ground, this vehicle is able to travel just about anywhere, regardless of the quality of existence of roads. The manned version has already been tested at up to 15 feet in the air and at speeds of up to 30 mph. It can probably go higher and faster, but they’ve limited themselves for safety reasons.

Unfortunately, Aerofex has no immediate ambitions to build and sell a commercially-available manned version. Instead, they’re looking at unmanned drones for agricultural, industrial and military applications. I guess we’ll have to find another way to get around Endor for now.

[Source]

The post Flying Star Wars Speeder Bike Hovers Into Reality (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The FBike is a collaborative effort between several Czech companies and enthusiasts. The propellers will be electrically-driven, but it looks like there are pedals there for added assistance, not unlike the ground-bound ped-elec bicycles we have today. The design is inspired by the stories of Jules Verne and Jaroslav Foglar, the latter of whom authored a trilogy of books that featured a flying bike.

And this isn’t just some geeks dreaming inside of a 3D rendering program either. They plan to have their first prototype ready for test flights this August. They’ve worked out the calculations and four 10kW compact brushless electric motors should be enough to power the large 1300mm (51-inch) twin propellers in the front and back. Add in a couple of 3.5kW stabilized motors for the 650mm (25.5-inch) side blades and you’re in the air for three to five minutes at a time.

At least, that’s the idea. I wish them the best of luck, but at least put a helmet on that guy!

[Source]

The post Czech Flying Bike Taking to the Air This August (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.