Tue, Feb 17, 2015
Based On A Quadcopter Design, The All-Electric Personal Air Vehicle Moves In Reaction To Shifts In The Rider’s Weight
Will we soon see something to rival Marty McFly's Hoverboard?
A Latvian company has launched a crowdfunding campaign for something it calls the AirBoard on Indegogo. Billed as the world's smallest manned aircraft, the all-electric personal air vehicle generates lift using four propellers powered by four separate electric motors. The board moves in reaction to shifts in the rider’s weight.
"It is designed for moving in extreme environments, such as over water and snow or in a desert. Military and emergency services could use it for search and rescue missions, or photographers could use it to film shots from the air," said Elviss Straupenieks, Latvian-based inventor of AirBoard. "AirBoard is more than just scaled quadcopter. It is a new category of aircraft. An aircraft you could place in your house or even in a car’s trunk."
Straupenieks says the AirBoard has a thermal core system which allows airflow from a thermal opening to flow inside the unibody and cool down the parts while passing more air to the propellers. The board is 71 inches long and 69 inches high when open, but folds down to 30 inches by 40 inches to make it portable. The production version will be made out of lightweight aluminum and titanium unibody.
Users can also remotely control AirBoard using an app designed to work with the board’s built-in GPS and gyroscope. The app additionally shows important information such as battery life, speed, compass and altitude. During flight, the phone sits in a holder fitted to the board's handles.
The conceptual design of AirBoard started in 2013. In 2014 it has been made in smaller scales and some full scale parts have been machined and tested. On January 2015 entered into agreement with manufacturing partner of AirBoards. As of February 9, 2015, AirBoard is on Indiegogo. Investors can contribute and have a priority to buy it when it is shipping in early 2016. Straupenieks said backers who donate a higher amount will have their signature engraved on all first generation AirBoards.
(Images provided by AirBoard)
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