Check out this video of the world's first fully-manned hoverbike

[midian182]

Hoverboards, flying cars, passenger drones, it's starting to look as if the futuristic world of tomorrow promised to us by movies from decades ago is emerging. And thanks to Russian startup Hoversurf, we now have what’s claimed to be the world’s first fully-manned hoverbike.

Hoversurf, which is also developing a drone taxi like the one from Chinese firm Ehang, says its Scorpion-3 hoverbike “is a single-seat aircraft that rediscovers the art of flying and hovering enabling a hi-tech quadcopter-based solution.”

The video shows the machine slowly traveling just a short distance inside a warehouse, but it's able to move at 50kph (around 31 mph), fly for 27 minutes, and carry up to 150 kg (331 pounds). It’s powered by both electricity and a hybrid battery and is expected to cost around $150,000.

The company took inspiration from heavy-duty sports-utility motorbike frames when designing the Scorpion-3. It can handle extreme conditions and uses in-house custom software that allows full manual and automated control.

For anyone nervous about taking to the skies on a flying motorbike, the Scorpion-3 has a safety system that, among other things, features computer aided speed and altitude limiting.

Right now, the Scorpion-3 is seen as an extreme sports device but it has potential in other areas of transportation.

As noted by TNW, Hoversurf showed off a different prototype hoverbike last year, one that can be controlled by both a pilot and remotely using a controller. Check it out in the video below.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/68225-check-out-video-world-first-fully-manned-hoverbike.html

 

[davislane1]

Neat.

 

[Uncle Al]

I thought it was really cool until I saw the price. $150,000 for something that can't even make the 30 minute mark???? Realisticly, they need to look at a fossel fuel version that can maintain flight for a minimum of 60 - 120 minutes and a cover for the rider would be a nice option as well as getting the price down to a much more realistic figure like $8,000 to $10,000. Even then it would still be a novelity but this is the first generation so who knows what is around the corner! Personally I'm probably going to have to hold out for the hover wheelchair .....

 

[PoppaHank]

I wouldn't worry at all about falling into those rotating blades. What are the odds?

 

[davislane1]

I wouldn't worry at all about falling into those rotating blades. What are the odds?

 

[Comanche]

What is up with that music yo, is just a bike

 

[p51d007]

With a quad arrangement, what happens if a motor dies? With a 5-6 motor arrangement, the software could compensate for a dead motor. With a 4 motor, wouldn't it fall out of the air?

 

[Greg S]

Really cool concept but ultimately useless as long as lawyers are involved.

 

[Draconian]

Too expensive for people to buy. But I could see a situation where an amusement park could let you fly one around in some kind of enclosed space.

 

[Kibaruk]

It's a mother freaking concept, what's up with all the hate. It's the ducking first manned hoverbike, just be awed in it's existence that's the whole freaking idea.

 

[davislane1]

It's a mother freaking concept, what's up with all the hate. It's the ducking first manned hoverbike, just be awed in it's existence that's the whole freaking idea.

It may have something to do with the fact that people have been making these concepts for years without actually producing anything more viable than a garage project:

 

[JamesSWD]

Why is everyone avoiding the use of Stark's Repulsor technology? It works in his armors and with the Helicarriers, it would work like a charm here.

 

[Inm00v]

Too expensive. Too slow. Too few flight minutes. Too much hype for a manned drone.