Chris WoodAugust 19, 2014A closer look at the Malloy Aeronautics Hoverbike

From left to right: the second prototype Hoverbike, the drone (in flight), and the original dual-rotor prototype (Photo: Chris Wood/Gizmag)

Image Gallery (23 images)

Last month we covered the launch of an interesting Kickstarter project that aimed to jump-start sales of a drone version of a fully-functional hover bike. The quadcopter drone acts as a proof of concept for the full-sized manned vehicle, with proceeds from the crowdfunding effort intended to fuel the continued development of the final vehicle. Gizmag visited the Malloy Aeronautics workshop in the UK to take a closer look at the Hoverbike project.

With more than a week remaining before the Kickstarter campaign concludes, its funding goal has been exceeded and development is moving forward at pace. Though the manned Hoverbike is what tends to garner the most attention, the one third scale drones are actually the focus of the Kickstarter effort.

The quadcopter drone can be accompanied by an anthropomorphic, 3D-printed figure known as Cyborg Buster, which features a space to fit a GoPro camera in its head. The drone is capable of following the pilot, following a predetermined flight path, and even has the ability to perform automatic take-off and landing maneuvers.

At this stage, there are three versions of the Hoverbike. The original two rotor manned vehicle, the quadcopter drone, and the still-in-development second prototype Hoverbike.

Thanks to the crowdfunding campaign, we’ve seen quite a lot of the drone, but the full-sized vehicle, in its MK2 state, has remained something of a mystery. Though we’re still a few months out from seeing the finished prototype, the full-sized Hoverbike is already an imposing sight. The quadrotor frame is similar to the drones offered on Kickstarter, but decidedly more angular, constructed from a combination of carbon sheet and aircraft-grade aluminum.

The design of the manned vehicle is cleverly thought out and features a number of interesting design points, such as adjustable weighting in the central section to ensure correct balancing regardless of pilot physique, a self-cutting rotor channel, and offset rotor placement.

In its current, rotor-less state, the inside of the circular, protective blade housing is filled with UV-stabilized polycarbonate (as pictured below). Once the rotors are fitted, they’ll cut through the material, creating a channel that reduces the clearance between the propeller top and duct wall.

The offset design of the four rotors allows the protective frame around one of the blades to be used as a mounting for the other, meaning that the revised vehicle can keep its narrow profile, making it practical for negotiating difficult terrain.

Though the act of designing and creating a fully functional hover bike may seem technologically Herculean, there’s no practical barrier to making it happen, at least not with the quadrotor design Chris Malloy and his team are working on with the Hoverbike. While public skepticism may be a significant barrier, the real challenge is bringing together existing technology, while making the vehicle safe, practical and economically viable.

The move from a dual to quad rotor setup is all about stability. The original Hoverbike design was certainly eye-catching, but it suffered from significant practical problems – namely, that if it were to reach a certain angle in a turn, it would become difficult for the pilot to right the vehicle. This is no longer an issue with the quadcopter design, with the varying thrust of the four rotors affording the vehicle significant stability.

If you find yourself talking to someone about a project such as this, one paramount area of concern that quickly arises is safety, and understandably so. Despite its name, the Hoverbike is not a hovercraft. It will travel up to altitudes in the thousands of feet, as well as achieve significant forward momentum.

One key piece of the puzzle here, and something that should assuage many safety concerns, is that the manned Hoverbike will be equipped with autopilot capabilities, just like the drone version. This means that though the vehicle can be piloted, a significant margin of human error can be removed from the equation.

The autopilot function also provides the option to remotely control the craft, making it well suited to supply drops, search and rescue operations over difficult terrain, and a whole host of other applications. From mountain rescue scenarios to Red Bull Air Race-esque sports applications, the list of potential uses for the vehicle seems practically endless.

With the Kickstarter project having already exceeded its funding goal, and with murmurs of outside funding, the project is moving full steam ahead. Once the crowdfunding effort concludes on August 31, the team will continue to sell the quadcoptor drones, and plans to test the manned-vehicle within a few months.

If you’re interested in being part of the effort, then you can head over to the project’s Kickstarter page. For more images of the both the first and second prototypes of the Hoverbikes, and the quadcopter drone, head to the gallery.

Source: Malloy Aeronautics

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深入了解Malloy Aeronautics Hoverbike

仔细看看马里航空hoverbike
从左到右：二原型hoverbike，无人驾驶飞机（飞行），和原来的双转子样机（摄影：克里斯伍德/ Gizmag）

图像画廊（23张）
上个月我们覆盖一个有趣的Kickstarter项目的推出，旨在启动销售一个全功能的无人机悬停自行车版。直升机无人机作为完整的一个概念证明大小的载人飞船，与众筹的努力旨在燃料的车辆的持续发展最终收益。通过走访英国马里航空车间采取仔细看看hoverbike项目。

用了一个多星期前的剩余的Kickstarter的运动的结论，其资金的目标已经超过，在PAC向前发展E.尽管载人飞行摩托车是什么会得到最大的关注，三分之一规模的无人机是Kickstarter的努力重点。

直升机无人机可以伴随着一个拟人化的，3D打印的图被称为机器人的克星，具有空间容纳GoPro相机在它的头。无人机能够试点后，在预定的飞行路径，甚至已经完成自动起飞和着陆机动能力。

在这个阶段，有三个版本的飞行摩托车。原来两旋翼载人车辆、直升机和无人机，仍然在发展二原型hoverbike。

感谢crowdfunding活动，我们已经看到了相当多的无人机，但全尺寸的车辆，在MK2的状态，仍然是个谜。虽然我们还在几个月看到完成的原型，全尺寸的飞行摩托车已经是一个宏伟的景象。旋翼结构类似于提供在Kickstarter上无人机，但绝对更角，由一个组合的碳片和航空级铝合金。

设计载人飞船是巧妙的设计和功能的一些有趣的设计点，这样在中央部分可调加权无论飞行员体质保证正确的平衡，一种自我切割转子通道，并抵消转子位置。

在其电流、转子少的状态，在循环里面，保护叶片外壳充满紫外线稳定的聚碳酸酯（如下图所示）。一旦转子安装，他们会通过减少材料，创建了一个通道，降低了螺旋桨的顶部和管壁之间的间隙。

偏移设计的四转子使防护架周围有叶片作为安装的其他意义，修订后的车辆可以保持其窄的轮廓，这使得谈判困难地形实用。

尽管和创建一个全功能的气垫摩托设计行为似乎是技术上的艰巨的，没有任何实际障碍真希NG的话，至少不与旋翼设计克里斯马洛伊和他的团队正在与hoverbike。虽然公众的怀疑可能是一个显着的障碍，真正的挑战是汇集现有的技术，同时使车辆安全，实用和经济上可行的。原设计为hoverbike固然抢眼，但遭受重大的现实问题–即，如果它是一个将达到一定的角度，这将为驾驶员对车辆变得困难。这不再是一个与直升机设计的问题，与四个转子提供车辆稳定性显著变推力。

如果你发现自己跟别人这样一个项目，担心很快出现了一个至关重要的地区是安全的，这是可以理解的。尽管它的名字，是不是一个气垫船的飞行摩托车。它会游到在千丈的高度，以及实现显着的前进的动力。

关键的一块拼图，而应该减轻许多安全问题，是载人飞行摩托车将配备自动驾驶功能，就像无人机版。这意味着，虽然车辆可以驾驶，人为误差的幅度可以从方程。

自动驾驶功能还可以远程控制工艺，使得它非常适合于供应下降，搜救行动在困难的地形，以及一大堆其他应用程序。从山地救援场景红牛赛车风格的运动应用程序，对车辆的潜在用途清单似乎无穷无尽。

与Kickstarter的项目已经超过了其融资目标，并与外部资金的杂音，该项目正全速提前。一旦crowdfunding努力在8月31日结束，球队将继续出售quadcoptor无人驾驶飞机，并计划在几个月内载人飞船试验。

如果你正在努力的一部分感兴趣，那么你可以在项目的Kickstarter页面。更多的的第一和第二原型的hoverbikes图像，和直升机的嗡嗡声，头向画廊。

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