In England, created an unmanned aerial motorcycle from Star Wars
In the UK, the world's first airborne drone was made, which will appeal to all fans of the Star Wars movie. It is reported that its inventor, Australian Chris Malloy, has already put up an unmanned vehicle for sale in order to finance work on the creation of 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 donations for a variety of scientific and creative projects.
The air bike, which is called the hoverbike, got its name by adding two English words: hover (flight) and bike (motorcycle). The result is something like a “flying motorcycle”, but it is this name that most accurately conveys the essence of the present invention. Today, the creation of such devices are working on both sides of the Atlantic. From the outside, this invention most closely resembles a vehicle from the popular fantastic Star Wars movie saga. It was on such a flying motorcycle that the main characters of the story were dissected along Tatooine. But in the present earth invention, instead of the anti-gravity pillow, a different technology is used.
In order for the hoverbike to take to the air, 2 or 4 using sufficiently powerful duct fans are used. This technology is no longer a secret for specialists for a long time - it was used in the mid 20th century to develop “flying” air cushion cars. At the same time, the 4 fan was used in the design of the device to extinguish the undesirable effects that occurred when using a rotary transport. For example, when moving in a straight line, such a device can turn in the direction of rotation of the working screw. With this effect, experts are familiar with helicopter technology. Pilots are even specially trained to see such “surprises”, so that they can easily cope with an undesirable change in the course of the apparatus, using both mechanical controls and electric stabilizing systems.
It is reported that the hoverbike created by Chris is 3 times smaller than the prototype for the pilot and is significantly lighter than it. Length drone is just over one meter, and the weight with batteries is only about three kilograms. Its other fundamental difference is the use of an electric motor on it. On a real hoverbike, it is planned to install a motor that will be similar to a motorcycle. At the same time, 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 speeds of 70 km / h, and is also capable of lifting various loads to the 7. This helicopter-motorcycle is controlled by an ordinary remote control. As its creator says, the flight height of its unmanned vehicle is limited by local air traffic regulations and the range of the console. The load to the drone itself can be purchased printed on the 3D-printer "robot". At the same time, its only useful function will be a bird's-eye shooting using a high-resolution video camera installed in his head. Due to the fact that the drone has a small capacity, it is suitable only for high-speed delivery of small parcels or for conducting panoramic shooting. According to Denis Fedutinov, an expert on unmanned systems, a hoverbike drone may well serve as a courier, including for the military.
Malloy lays her main hopes on the future manned version of her creation, which will combine the qualities of a motorcycle and a helicopter. For the sake of realization of his idea, an engineer from Australia even decided to move to England, where one private investor helped him organize the production. At the same time, the money from the sale of the drone will be sent by Malloy 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 the flights. Having received the third dimension due to the possibility of lowering and rising, the low-flying single-seater will get very high maneuverability and throughput. 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 allegations of maximum speed seem to be rather overstated. Previously, Californian company Aerofex also spoke about the planned speed for 200 km / h, but gradually began to operate with much more mundane numbers.
It is worth noting that fans of the Star Wars saga have long been experiencing a lack of the news... A real human-driven hoverbike may be ready by 2017. Its development is being carried out in the USA by the Aerofex company. According to the representatives of this Californian company, the serial version of the air motorcycle will be able to reach speeds 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 Aerofex hoverbike was already presented to the public. During the tests, which were carried out in the Mojave Desert, this aircraft was able to reach a maximum speed of 50 km / h and a flight altitude of 4,5 meters.
The new vehicle promised by the company has a large number of similarities with flying motorcycles from Star Wars. In fact, this is an analogue of a motorcycle, but on a hovercraft. According to the developers, it will be possible to learn how to manage such a tool in just one day’s 2-3. In this case, the creators of the device laid the foundation for its concept, according to which a person can quickly adapt to this hoverbike model, if earlier he had already been driving a regular motorcycle.
New received the designation Aero-X. It is worth noting that this hoverbike is not only entertainment for ordinary people and fans of Star Wars. According to the developers, their model may be of interest to people as a reliable and reliable means of transportation in difficult terrain. The model may well be of interest to rescuers and border guards. It is reported that the duration of the flight Aero-X will be up to 1,5 hours, and ordinary gasoline will be used as fuel. At the same time, hoverbikek will have the following overall dimensions - 4,5 meters in length, 2 meters in width and 1,25 meters in height. The total mass of the device will be about 365 kg.
According to the company Aerofex, the model of their flying motorcycle will be available for pre-order in 2017 year. In this case, the beginning of the test tests of the serial models of the device should begin in the 2016 year. It is reported that the price of this vehicle will be 85 thousand dollars. To confirm the seriousness of the intentions to purchase a hoverbike, you will need to make a deposit in the amount of 5 thousand dollars, which will be included in the total cost of the product.
Information sources:
http://rusplt.ru/world/mashina-dlya-shturmovika-11491.html
http://cirkul.info/article/aerofex-hoverbike
http://www.3dnews.ru/820356
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