One-Man Flying Space Hopper Could Become The ' Air Car ' Of The Future
It might look like as space hoppersurrounded by model helicopters, but the 16-rotor E-Volo is an entirely newkind of helicopter - which can hover motionless in the air without input fromthe pilot , Its bold engineer, Thomas Senkel, took the machine on its firstmanned flight this week - lasting 1 minute 30 seconds. It's not the firstelectric helicopter flight - but this is a new kind of machine, steered simplyby joystick, with the pilot sitting above the rotors. Senkel says it couldrevolutionise transport. The three inventors claim their flying machine couldbe used for inspecting pipelines, as an air ambulance or for taking aerialphotographs - as well as just for fun. Once they have solved the problem of howto keep it in the air for longer - and support more people - Senkel hopes itmight replace helicopters for good. It's far easier to fly than ordinaryhelicopters - it's steered by rotor speed, which is computer-controlled, so thepilot just needs to use a joystick as if playing a videogame, rather thancontrolling multiple complex contorols at once. Senkel describes the easy-to-use machine as'good-natured' and potentially capable of replacing the helicopter in manysituations. He added: 'Without any steering input it would just hover there onthe spot.' The multicopter is currently only able to fly for around 20 minutesbecause it runs on lithium-ion batteries. But E-volo hope rapidlydeveloping technology will mean they can complete hour-long flights in the nearfuture. A hybrid drive, in which a conventional internal combustion enginegenerates the electrical power, would already show an hour-long flight time.
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السيارة الطائرة ... سيارات المستقبل
سيارة تسع لشخص واحد , قد تبدو وأنك محاطبطائرات الهليوكبتر , في تجاربها الأولى من قبل المهندسين توماس وسينكل قالا بأنهيمكن أن تحلق لمدة ثلاثين دقيقة في الهواء بدون توجيه أو تدخل فيها , ويقولالمهندسان عن تجربتهما الجريئة بأنه يمكن إستخدام مثل هذة النوعية من السيارات فيالإسعافات أو الإطفاء أو التفتيش الدولي , ولكن لن تحل محل الطائرات الهليوكبتر فيمثل هذه الحالات لكنها تجربة قوية وتحتاج إلى الدعم من جميع الجهات
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