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"But the problem with reincarnation is that it's hard to imagine what the storage medium for past lives would be. Not to mention the input-output device. I hesitate to rule it out completely, but I'd need pretty definite proof."
- Arthur C. Clarke
 |
| Copter Harness | ||
| A single person flying machine. |
The success of the Wright brothers brought out the inventor in many people; there were a number of attempts to create a very portable, single-person flying machine in the 1920's and 1930's.
| They were half way home when a single flyer, hopping free in a copter harness, approached the little parade. The flier ignored the red warning light stabbing out from the police chief's car and slanted straight down at the huge star beast. John Thomas thought that he recognized that he recognized Betty's slapdash style even before he could make out features; he was not mistaken. He caught her as she cut power.
 (Robert Heinlein: The Star Beast and copter harnesses) |
| Technovelgy from The Star Beast,
by Robert Heinlein. Published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1954 Additional resources -
|
Today, it is possible to buy the Vortex Sport Copter:
Compare to the individual flyer from Asteroid Pirates (1938) by Royal Heckman and the jump harness from Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) by Robert Heinlein.
All "VORTEX" copter's have the new Shock-Mounted Rotorhead and our high-performance suspension system including swing-arm nosewheel suspension. The "VORTEX" standard engine is a Rotax 582, even though, a variety of engines can beadapted, such as Rotax 618 or the Subaru four-stroke series. Our company will work with the customer to outfit the "VORTEX" with the engine of his/her choice. This is a highly versatile airframe.
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Star Beast
More Ideas
and Technology by Robert Heinlein
Tech news articles related to The Star Beast
Tech news articles related to works by Robert Heinlein
Copter Harness-related
news articles:
- Skyray Human Glider Flight
- AirScooter II Ultralight: Heinlein's Copter Harness?
- Springtail EFV-4B Personal Air Vehicle From Trek Aerospace
- First Jetpowered Flying Man
- GEN H-4 Looks Like Heinlein's Copter Harness
- VertiPod From Air Buoyant: Segway Of The Sky
- CopterPack Is Robert Heinlein's 1954 Copter Harness
- Robert Heinlein, Your Personal Electric Helicopter Will Be Ready In 2016
- myCopter Personal Aerial Vehicle (PAV)
| San Francisco Autobus |
| Volvo's Autonomous Truck |
| Eviation Alice Electric Plane First Flight |
| Robotaxi By Cruise Premieres in Austin, Texas |
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'The pitiless M rays pierced Earth and steel and densest concrete as if they were so much transparent glass...'
'Pina2bo would have to operate full blast for many years to put as much SO2 into the stratosphere as its namesake had done in a few minutes.'
'Nanny is different,' Tom Fields murmured... 'she's not like a machine. She's like a person.'
'We made a crude , small cell and were delighted - and, I admit, somewhat surprised - to find it worked.'
'...we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'
'The clothes and jewelery drew their tiny power requirements from her movements.'
'At the end of each appendage's eight fingers there are tinier appendages...'
'We want to do something to help those who are suffering from tooth loss or absence,' said lead researcher Katsu Takahashi.
