Modern inventions for flying include this hovercraft that rides like a motorcycle.
It's like a Star Wars inspired Imperial Speeder Bike. The Aero-X hovers above the ground at a maximum altitude of 12 feet (3.6 m) and can reach airspeeds of 45 mph (72 kmh). It can carry two people to a maximum load of 310 lbs (140 kgs).
Aero-X inventor Mark De Roche, an aerospace engineer and Chief Technology Officer for Aerofex Corporation who manufacture the Aero-X, wasn't trying to create a Star Wars Imperial Speeder. He wanted to create a better all-terrain vehicle.
The problem with all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) is that they are not all terrain. You can't go over water, chasms or through swamps.
The hover-bike provides search and rescue crews, emergency responders, border patrols, surveyors, farmers, ranchers and other users with an affordable vehicle that combines the benefits of all-terrain vehicles, aircraft and watercraft into one machine.
The Aero-X has a kinesthetic control system, which means the vehicle is controlled by leaning against knee and handle bars to steer it sideways, backward or forward.
"You can learn to operate it safely in just a weekend of training," says De Roche. Aerofex, based in Manhattan Beach, California is selling the Aero-X for $85,000 for delivery by 2017.
Source: aerofex.com