Resurrecting a 50-year-old design that was abandoned for stability issues, the engineers at Aerofex have built a working hoverbike prototype.
The stability fix Aerofex came up with is an elegant solution: knee-level control bars let the pilot manipulate roll by leaning, leaving the handlebars to control pitch and yaw. The system is purportedly intuitive enough that anybody with good enough balance to handle a motorcycle can pilot it without training.
The current prototype limits altitude to 15 feet and speed to about 30 mph - but those limits are cautionary. An older version could reportedly fly as fast as most helicopters.
Unfortunately, Aerofex isn't planning to release the manned version of the hoverbike anytime soon. They're focusing instead on developing an unmanned drone version, which they expect to be testing by the end of 2013.
Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.
Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com
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