 |
VertiPod From Air Buoyant: Segway Of The Sky
The VertiPod from Air Buoyant is essentially a one-person helicopter - turned upside down. The pilot stands above the propeller, braced against a back support. Steering is simple - just start leaning in the direction you want to go.
(VertiPod)
More than a mere ground-effect vehicle, like a hovercraft, the VertiPod can fly up to fifteen feet above the ground at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. The thrust comes from a 440-cubic-centimeter engine that runs on gasoline or ethanol and can be activated with a pull-start, like a lawnmower.
(VertiPod alternate view)
SF fans may see in this device the copter harness, a kind of personal helicopter from a still-readable 1954 novel The Star Beast. In the story, Robert Heinlein describes a unique mode of personal transportation:
"They were half way home when a single flyer, hopping free in a copter harness, approached the little parade... John Thomas thought that he recognized that he recognized Betty's slapdash style even before he could make out features."
(Read more about the copter harness.)
Readers might also think of the two-man hover pods from the 1960's cartoon Jonny Quest.
Interested in similar devices?
- AirScooter II UltralightRead more about it at Wired and at the Air Buoyant VertiPod website.
- Springtail EFV-4B Personal Air Vehicle From Trek Aerospace
- First Jetpowered Flying Man
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 12/11/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion (Back On) ( 5 )
Related News Stories - (" Vehicle ")
Tesla's Supercharge Station Plan
'To recharge the batteries, which can be done in almost every town and village...'- John Jacob Astor IV, 1894.
BMW Plans Fully Autonomous Cars By 2025
'She woke just before the signal from the car which would have called her... '- Robert Heinlein, 1941.
EU Parliament Requires Electric Cars To Make Noise
'...a sound tape to supply the noise of a soi-disant "[internal combustion]" engine...'- Robert Heinlein, 1985.
Pepper The Parrot's Bird Buggy
'Someone had put them on mobile platforms, the skrodes.'- Vernor Vinge, 1992.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
Hungry? Grow Nutritious Insects At Home
'...I balked when my wife served me termites.'
Snowboarding On Mars? Heinlein Was Ready
How long ago did Robert Heinlein write about skiing on dry alien worlds?
Orwell's '1984' Hits Bestseller Lists Thanks To PRISM
'There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment.'
Roboroach Control? There's An App For That
'A cable, here, from the controller to the interface plug... wires from that to the brain.'
Court OK's DNA Collection Like 'Gattaca'
DNA sampling is not the same as fingerprinting.
Squid Vs. Whale Diorama Liked By Humans, Aliens
'Everything was ready, awaiting the Overlords' pleasure...'
Iceberg Harvesting Off Newfoundland's Coast
'Five hundred billion gallons worth of Antarctic iceberg had been towed into Santa Monica Bay.'
Sony's A4-Sized Flexible Digital Paper Notepad
'...he would plug his foolscap-sized Newspad into the ship's information circuit and scan the latest reports...'
Contact Lens Video Display Electronics Now Transparent
'He realized that it was not quite a clear lens. Speckles of colored brightness swirled and gathered in it...'
Tesla's Supercharge Station Plan
'To recharge the batteries, which can be done in almost every town and village...'
Millimeter-Scale Computing For 'Internet of Things'
'In their megalomania they thought to make the very sand beneath their feet intelligent...'
Your Own Handheld Biosensor
'I'm gonna do a hand-held Boink, real quick,' Littleberry said'
DARPA's Warrior Web
'Earth's scientists solved the problem to some extent by devising rigid metallic clothing not unlike armor...'
Chris Hadfield, Space Oddity And Space Lawyers
'Had incorporated himself, in fact, under the laws of Vesta.'
Oceanwings For Underwater Human Flight
'He flexed his legs, the massive flukes thrust back jerkily in response...'
CurvACE Artificial Compound Insect Eye
'...transmitting to its manipulator, far away now, all that it ... saw with its minute vision tubes.'
