Hasta La Gadget!

How’d you like to be able to fly over the traffic while riding your bike to work? This flying bike could be just the ticket. This remote-controlled bike actually left the ground for about five minutes. But not with a human onboard. A styrofoam dummy was used instead because it still needs more powerful propellers to carry a real passenger.

The helicopter bike comes from a teamup of three Czech companies. It has four large, battery-powered propellers mounted inside two cages, and weighs a total of 209lbs. It may not do much more than lift off and hover a few feet off the ground, but as they improve things it will get better. Imagine a future full of flying bikes. Of course, if they looked like this, they’d have to fly all of the time, because this thing is too wide and long for the road. It’s also ridiculously loud. Yeah it isn’t very practical. It’s more a proof of concept. But it’s still pretty fun to watch it in flight…

Still, if they can make the engine stronger and have the pilot sitting back more, it could be an economical way to put flying vehicles in the sky.

[via Gizmodo via OhGizmo!]

Don Vitenzo invented a new type of quadcopter that’s sure to stoke the imaginations of kids and perhaps even vehicle makers. It’s called B, and it’s a remote-controlled quadcopter and car in one.

I know what you’re thinking. The answer is no, the wheels don’t tilt to a horizontal level when you command the B to fly. It doesn’t transform or anything and just flies as it is. But that’s all right; less moving parts means its less likely to break down. Speaking of which, Vitenzo designed B to be durable. Its body is made of polycarbonate and its wheel housing and propellers are very flexible.

The B also has a 2,200mAh battery that’s good for up to 15 minutes of rolling and flying. B is also equipped with a 720×1280 camera and it uses microSD cards (up to 32GB) to save video.

Floats like a butterfly, rides like a car. Buzzes like a bee. Peeps like a perv. Okay this is getting out of hand. Pledge at least £125 (~$190 USD) on Kickstarter to get a ready-to-assemble B kit.

[via The Verge]

Watching this video of this guy making his own model of the Starship Enterprise D – then making it fly – is truly inspirational. It is a fully functional R/C model. It’s even illuminated by super bright LEDs and fiber optics. Honestly, I was in geek heaven watching this.

YouTuber TheMiro59 built this functional model of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D last year. It doesn’t fly perfectly, but it does fly. The video takes you through the build process and all of the test flights. The first flight is kind of funny as it nose dives into a net like it had been caught in a Tholian web – though after a while, he does get the hang of flying the decidedly less than aerodynamic starship.

Still, all I can say is this guy did an awesome job. The man believed it and lived the dream. Now somebody needs to start mass-producing these so we can all own one.

[via GeekTyrant]

Back in February, we mentioned some cool build-your-own iPhone remote control Brick Cars from Utico that had landed in Japan. These cars let you drive around using your iPhone or other Apple gadget as a controller and you get to build the car as well. When they first surfaced they were only available in Japan and were priced at about $43 each.

If you thought those little LEGO-style remote control cars were really cool, you’ll be glad to hear that you can now buy them in the United States via iHelicopters.net. The downside is that the price has increased with the little kits now selling for $59.95 (USD).

There is a Mini Brick car kit and a Mini Brick Van kits to choose from. Both allow you to customize the design of the vehicle to suit your style. While they’re too small to use with LEGO bricks, they’re actually compatible with Nanoblocks building blocks.

The kits use wireless connectivity with a control range of 20 to 30 m. Charge time for the transmitter is 60 minutes for 120 minutes of play and charge time for the car itself is 20 minutes for 10 minutes of play. The control app is available free on the iTunes app store right now.

Automation company Festo loves showing off its technologies and expertise by creating robot versions of animals. We’ve featured the company’s SmartBird before, and you may have also seen its AirPenguin in action. Now the company has released information about its latest pet project, the BionicOpter.

With the BionicOpter, Festo set out to replicate the flying capabilities of the dragonfly. The company says the insect is unique in that it can move in all directions, glide, hover, turn and accelerate quickly and even fly backwards. By replicating how dragonflies use their wings, the BionicOpter ends up being more versatile than a plane, helicopter or glider.

The robot has an aluminum body and carbon fiber wings. It has one external brushless motor and eight motors that handle the movement of its wings. Speaking of which, the robot can orient its wings vertically or horizontally as needed, just like the real deal. The BionicOpter can fly on its own but it can also be controlled remotely. All of that in a machine that weighs only 175g (approx. 0.39lbs.).

If you ask me the best feature of the BionicOpter is that it has a gracefulness to it that I previously thought could only be exhibited by a living creature. Check out Festo’s report (pdf file) if you want to learn more about the robot.

[via Slash Gear]