By Kevin Samson
Anyone still not familiar with the concept of a Hoverbike that was popularized by Star Wars will have a chance to see it in the new feature to be released in movie theaters on December 18th. It seems science reality is catching up to science fiction.
A successful 2014 Kickstarter campaign raised nearly $100,000 to help make the world’s first Hoverbike a reality, and all indicators point to it arriving sooner rather than later.
Designers from Malloy Aeronautics employed the mechanics of a quadcopter drone to create a proof of concept that could revolutionize transportation … or at the very least provide some serious fun.
Although the Hoverbike still hasn’t been made available for purchase, a recent update indicates that the military has shown interest; which, as we know, is an indicator that this technology will most likely trickle down to the rest of us in one form or another.
At the Paris Air Show, Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford joined with SURVICE Engineering Co., a Belcamp, Md.-based defense firm, and U.K.-based Malloy Aeronautics, an aeronautical engineering firm, to announce that the two companies have teamed up on the development of Hoverbike technology for the U.S. Department of Defense. SURVICE and Malloy are working on the Hoverbike as part of an ongoing research and development contract with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. The Hoverbike is being developed to operate as a new class of Tactical Reconnaissance Vehicle (TRV).
As part of this strategic alliance, Malloy Aeronautics has also announced that they have established a U.S. office in Belcamp adjacent to Aberdeen Proving Ground to complete work on the Hoverbike.
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SURVICE engineering has 400 employees and specializes in military support, which clearly will take the Hoverbike concept to a new level. Their work has produced a new version of the Hoverbike, called P2, that can be seen in a test flight video recently released. It is still operating largely as a drone, but designers say that it is already capable of being used by a person weighing up to 220 pounds.
Do you think the Hoverbike will actually become a viable cheaper option for civilian transport, or is the military likely to keep this technology under lock and key?
Kevin Samson writes for ActivistPost.com. This article may be freely shared with proper author attribution and source link.
WHY use so few rotor units, witch slow speed and try to compare that to many smaller ones with higher rews, if you understand and make it to an floating boat, in the air, as a boat goes thrue the water.
peace
Fools and their money are soon parted.
As an inventor/designer myself, I have always said that one of the most important traits for such people is to know when to slay the baby. You must be able to make a practical critique of your ideas and cut your losses when insurmountable problems crop up. In the case of this and all hovercraft, the problem is no direct coupling with the ground through tires, hence poor acceleration, braking, and handling. I’ve watched motorcycle design improve steadily for the last 50 years and improving the acceleration, braking, and handling have been the driving motivations for that whole time. So what makes these guys think they can sell these oversized monstrosities, or that the public will give them a pass when they sand-blast cars around them and pedestrians with the road grit they blow up, or that traffic cops will be forgiving when you do an air-skid halfway into an intersection on a red light because you can’t stop the way disc brakes do?
What have you designed and or invented?
Let’s just say that I’ve designed and manufactured numerous products in the areas of outdoor recreation and landscaping equipment as a self-employed businessman — any more would easily reveal exactly who I am. It’s a daily source of pride and satisfaction to know that things I’ve made are all over the world making people’s work easier and their adventures more comfortable. I highly recommend manufacturing to young people with the intelligence and drive to do it, at least after we straighten out our country’s disastrous descent into a fascist police state.
Oh, come on Tom. Just one thing, only one of the many things you have invented, please, please please.
lawn darts?
I was thinking the hula hoe. Both have made money and if had invented them I would not be the least bit bashful about saying so……………and be able to back t up.
WITH LAWNMOWERS….still hiding the antigravity and zero point power sources
how the UFOs do it?
THINK ABOUT IT