Polish Startup Volonaut Unveils Star Wars Speeder Bike Look-Alike

No, it’s not April 1… a Polish aviation start-up recently unveiled a Star Wars-inspired flying bike by announcing its first successful flight. To bring it all together, at the controls for the maiden flight was an Imperial scout trooper.

The design was created by renowned Polish innovator Tomasz Patan. He is best known for co-founding Jetson, which launched another wildly ahead-of-its-time aircraft in 2021: the Jetson ONE. This is a wingless personal electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) device with eight motors.

Since the release of the Jetson ONE, it seems Patan has been hard at work with another out-of-the-box invention. With no warning, he debuted a “superbike for the skies” under the company name Volonaut.

The official launch video (posted on May the Fourth, of course) showed a man in a scout trooper costume flying the jet-powered AirBike. It is made primarily of carbon fiber materials, making it nearly seven times lighter than the average motorcycle.

The Airbike is a one-person vehicle, capable of reaching speeds of up to 124 mph. It shares its unique look with the Star Wars speeder bikes, with no frame or structure surrounding the cockpit and sculpted stands for takeoff and landing. The VTOL also has a flight computer-enhanced proprietary stabilization system for automatic hovers and easy control.

That’s about all we know so far. The project has been in “stealth mode,” the company said, throughout its development. So, whether or not the Volonaut Airbike will ever come to the market is unknown. Either way, Patan’s creation is yet another step towards making the world’s science fiction dreams a reality.

FMI: https://volonaut.com/airbike