Magic Carpet Ride

Posted on Aug 23, 2012

Aerofex Corp.

Taking a page right out of “Star Wars,” California-based aerospace manufacturer Aerofex has released video showing a kind of “hover bike” maneuvering through the desert in scenes that resemble Luke Skywalker’s dashes through the Tatooine wilderness on his X-34 Landspeeder.

It seems to be a rule that men with guns and uniforms are always the first to get their hands on the coolest new toys. “Think of the advantages of patrolling borders without first constructing roads,” Aerofex’s website says, possibly looking to some future government contracts. An unmanned model is also in the works, with a prototype due by 2014.

According to The Guardian, the contraption reaches speeds of 30 miles an hour, can reach heights of 15 feet and is steered with the pilot’s knees, like a motorcycle. The company has no immediate plans to make the craft commercially available.

Follow the Aerofex team’s progress on their flight log here.

—Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.

The Guardian:

             
             
             

             

Aerofexcorp:

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