Fans of George Lucas’ Star Wars films will surely remember the iconic speeder bike chase that takes place in the Return of the Jedi. Incredibly, a California based company called Aeroflex and its aerospace engineer CEO Mark De Roche have created an aerial vehicle that literally hovers effortlessly and intuitively.
According to Innovation News Daily, the motorcycle sized vehicle employs two ducted rotors in place of wheels with the overall idea originating from an abandoned 1960’s project. The project never took off (pun fully intended) due to issues surrounding stability and rollover.
Aeroflex has seemingly solved the aforementioned issues by creating a mechanical system based around control bars that are at knee-level. The beauty of the system is that the control bars respond to the pilot’s natural and intuitive leaning and balance mechanics, thereby making the balance of the vehicle that of its pilot.
De Roche in much more scientific terms that the ones I employed above, explains it as follows:
“It essentially captures the translations between the two in three axis (pitch, roll and yaw), and activates the aerodynamic controls required to counter the movement — which lines the vehicle back up with the pilot. Since [the pilot’s] balancing movements are instinctive and constant, it plays out quite effortlessly to him.”
The vehicle which uses similar mechanics and flight principles to that of helicopters has potential uses are both exciting and numerous. They will be able to do anything from transport physicians to rural parts of the world to give medical treatment or even to resupply ground troops in treacherous terrain. Given that their size and fact that the rotors are contained and protected, they offer a much more nimble and safe means of transportation between trees and smaller spaces.
Aeroflex is testing the manned devices in hopes that they will eventually be able to create robotic “workhorses” that allow for work in agriculture fields as well as the delivery of supplies. Current test models have hovered at 15 feet and moved at speeds of 30 MPH.
Check out some of the testing video below.
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