It's only fitting that as we get closer to finally realizing the dream of cars that can fly, their two-wheeled counterparts are also getting off the ground. A company called Aerofex has created a flying "motorcycle" based on an abandoned 1960 era design that could one day be sold in showrooms.
The design that Aerofex has chosen for its hover bike was originally given up on more than 40 years ago because engineers couldn't find a way to keep it from tipping over. Their current-day counterparts have evidently found a relatively simple mechanical fix for the problem, which allows riders to shift their weight side to side in order to prevent rollovers. After all, it's important to maintain control when you're traveling at 30 mph up to 15 feet above the ground, as the current prototype is capable of doing.
Although it has a human-piloted version of the bike up-and-running, Aerofex is actually planning to use the technology to develop unmanned, robotic hovering platforms that can be used to transport gear and supplies for military use. Due to the contraption's narrow size and enclosed rotors, it's being looked at as an ideal solution for use in urban environments where space is tight and traditional helicopter rotor blades would be far too dangerous.
This article was written by Randy Nelson and originally appeared on Tecca
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