Prototype vehicle in the works that could revolutionize travel
by Katherine Gray |
Haven't you ever been sitting in traffic
and just wished you could go over the other commuters? Australian
mechanical engineer and inventor Chris Malloy has helped that dream get
one step closer to reality with his Hoverbike prototype.
The single-passenger vehicle consists of a frame made of Kevlar-reinforced carbon fiber with a foam core, between two horizontal spinning propellers. The propellers are made from Tasmanian oak with a carbon fiber leading edge for strength. The driving controls of the Hoverbike are similar to those of a motorcycle, via handlebar grips. The right grip controls thrust, while the left grip controls the angle of the control vanes that make the Hoverbike go forward or backward. Turning the handlebars left and right turns the vehicle just like a motorcycle.
The Hoverbike will theoretically reach speeds of 173 mph and a height of more than 10,000 feet, but at the moment, it's only been tested while tethered a mere three feet from the ground. That's because while Malloy is very confident in the stability of the machine, he doesn't want to risk breaking the prototype should something unplanned happen. And design and testing are going so well that Malloy hopes to have the Hoverbike into limited production within a year, and full production two years after that. The vehicle is expected to come in at a relatively affordable $40,000, comparable to a high-end motorcycle.
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