Let us ask you a question, what is the future that you foresee for the modes of transportation? Most of us would agree that we are foreseeing a future that will have flying cars for everyone and people who can afford flying cars will stop using conventional modes of transport.
So if we are foreseeing flying cars to be the future, then why not bikes that are capable of flying? (Harry Potter’s Grandfather owned one). Back in 2011, we saw a conceptual ‘hover-bike’ by the company called Aerofex. The concept was really close to the speeder bikes starred in Star Wars and this unveiling had stirred quite a lot of interest.
The hoverbike was given the name Aero-X and the company has just announced that the Aero-X, the vehicle we all have wanted ever since we were kids, will be available in market in 2017 with a price tag of $85,000. To reserve a unit, you can submit a $5,000 deposit and get a spot in waiting line. According to the information that has been released by the company, the commercial version of Aero-X will be like a motorcycle cum hovercraft. The Aero-X hovers approximately at a height of 12’ from the ground. It is capable of achieving speeds of up to 44 Mph. Most of you will complain that it is quite less than the speed which is attainable on road, but, that is for your own safety. We don’t want ourselves falling off from bike at a cruising speed, do we?! The bike will be capable of handling 2 passengers at a time and shall not require any solid ground for it to work.
Aerofex has overcome the challenges presented by any flying vehicle and also had to put in extra effort to achieve a riding experience that is similar to that of a regular motorcycle being driven on roads. The company claims that it has achieved the required safety and stability requirements too. Among many other hurdles that the company had to overcome, two common and major issues will be stated over here.
The company had to deal with the problem of coupling (bike leans when accelerating) and that has been overcome. The riders will lean right or left (just like with the traditional bike) to steer the Aero-X. The second issue was that of coping with wind gusts and has been solved by installing gyroscopes and accelerometers that can pick up any unintended yaw, roll and pitch and can compensate autonomously by employing the onboard computers.
If Aerofex delivers what it promises, then we shall soon be experiencing a future where you can ride this hover-bike to work or to the grocery store without worrying about traffic jams. As of now, no particular driving license is required for riding this bike but we are sure that once it is commercially made available, FAA will take action and develop some guidelines for the safety of the riders while also catering to the safety needs of others. Check out the video below for more:
