Hoversurf, a Russian flying motorcycle, has been getting a lot of press lately. “Looks like a hell of a ride,” trumpets TheNextWeb. Mashable headlines, “The first manned hoverbike could finally fulfill your ‘Star Wars’ dreams,” but points out, “Those dangerous-looking propellers spinning right next to the pilot’s legs.” New Atlas (formerly Gizmag) says it is, “Equally amazing and horrifying.” Hoversurf’s Scorpion evokes Star Wars with its clean white gloss. But like the movie’s speeder bikes flung about by heroes and villains alike, seems equally dangerous with its wooden propellers at two different heights – ankle-biter and knee-slapper. Protective shields theoretically will prevent slicing and dicing, and future plans call for an enclosed cabin with the occupant more secure from maceration. Some qualms persist. Rivals like e-volo’s Volocopter spread lift over 16 propellers, and the eHang 184 has eight blades. The lack of redundancy at the four corners might be a problem if one motor or reduction belt fails. Rivals feature …
Hungarian Flying Trike Makes Debut
This six-rotored, six-motored flying “Y” may make you ask “why, indeed,” but its makers are enthusiastic about its prospects. Even though its second test flight lasted only a minute and a half, its rider looked as happy as though he’d just ridden the mechanical bull at Gilley’s. Certainly the riding posture is similar, and the Flike (flying trike) might show more three-dimensional moves than the beast tethered to the barroom’s floor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmiMx7ClcSI Flike’s designers and builders are funded by a major Hungarian government-based non-profit organization dedicated, it would seem, to emerging technologies in biological, engineering, and environmental sciences, among others. The six NT-Power motors are probably the 15 kilowatt units (the other option is a 12 kW version), with maximum input of 80 Volts and 280 Amperes. Motor efficiency is 93 percent, but the company shows total system efficiency with battery, controllers, cables, connectors and other components of about 88 percent. This might be a good disclosure approach for all motor vendors. …