Posted on Jun 19, 2015
Star Wars-like hoverbikes may one day come to a military near you
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"Star Wars-like hoverbikes may one day come to a military near you"
Originally published on mashable.com:
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Star Wars fans are likely aware of the awesomeness of speeder bikes, which are capable of hovering and zipping through the air. Now, the concept is closer than ever to becoming a reality.
U.K.-based engineering startup Malloy Aeronautics has invented a real-life hoverbike that could easily pass for a speeder bike and it could be coming to the U.S. military in the near future.
The company has signed a contract with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to develop hoverbikes to the U.S. military, it announced this week. The Army Research Lab is a wing of the military centered on developing new technologies.
It is also teaming up with Survice, an engineering firm that specializes in developing aircraft. The goal is to turn the bike into a reconnaissance vehicle for the military.
Right now, Malloy's prototype hoverbike could go as fast as 92 mph, but it's only been tested when tied to the ground so it doesn't fly too high. It's about the size of a small car, and weighs about 600 pounds. The company plans to test the bike without restrictions in the coming months.
Malloy Aeronautics already sells drones that are one-third replicas of the hoverbike. Each has four rotors; two of them overlapping on each side. The rotors create enough force to raise the machines above the ground and let them hover and fly around. The hoverbike uses a motorcycle engine and handlebars for controls.
Last year, Molloy raised over $100,000 in a Kickstarter campaign to jump-start manufacture and sales for a drone and pay for developments costs of the hoverbike.
http://mashable.com/2015/06/19/star-wars-hoverbikes/
Originally published on mashable.com:
--
Star Wars fans are likely aware of the awesomeness of speeder bikes, which are capable of hovering and zipping through the air. Now, the concept is closer than ever to becoming a reality.
U.K.-based engineering startup Malloy Aeronautics has invented a real-life hoverbike that could easily pass for a speeder bike and it could be coming to the U.S. military in the near future.
The company has signed a contract with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to develop hoverbikes to the U.S. military, it announced this week. The Army Research Lab is a wing of the military centered on developing new technologies.
It is also teaming up with Survice, an engineering firm that specializes in developing aircraft. The goal is to turn the bike into a reconnaissance vehicle for the military.
Right now, Malloy's prototype hoverbike could go as fast as 92 mph, but it's only been tested when tied to the ground so it doesn't fly too high. It's about the size of a small car, and weighs about 600 pounds. The company plans to test the bike without restrictions in the coming months.
Malloy Aeronautics already sells drones that are one-third replicas of the hoverbike. Each has four rotors; two of them overlapping on each side. The rotors create enough force to raise the machines above the ground and let them hover and fly around. The hoverbike uses a motorcycle engine and handlebars for controls.
Last year, Molloy raised over $100,000 in a Kickstarter campaign to jump-start manufacture and sales for a drone and pay for developments costs of the hoverbike.
http://mashable.com/2015/06/19/star-wars-hoverbikes/
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Technology
Star Wars Technology
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
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