HIGHLIGHTS:
• In Japan, a company tested the flying motorcycle
• See the video of this incredible flying bike
In front of a live audience in Japan, a company tested the flying motorcycle. Hoverbikes, sometimes known as flying bikes, are recognisable to fans of sci-fi futuristic films such as Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars. It’s typical to see hoverbikes in films depicting futuristic and semi-human societies. However, witnessing them in person can be mind-blowing and super weird. The hoverbike shakily hovered a few metres off the ground for just over a minute, and you can see in the video how this incredible flying bike dazzled onlookers.
So, how does it work?
The Xturismo is essentially what happens when a motorcycle is placed on top of a drone platform. As a result, it is classified as a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft.
The hoverbike is also a hybrid, with a conventional engine and four electric motors providing power. It can fly thanks to a set of propellers: two primary propellers (where the wheels would have been) and four secondary stabilizer propellers at each corner.
The Xturismo is classified as an ultralight aircraft, which means you don’t need a pilot’s licence to operate it.
Is this the start of urban air mobility?
No, I don’t think so. However, we may be witnessing the seeds of a future (far-flung future) paradigm. To begin with, the Xturismo’s performance is far from spectacular, for a few minutes, the driver (or should I say pilot?) goes slowly.
Nonetheless, the bike’s top speed is predicted to be between 30 and 40 kilometres per hour, with a flight length of 30 to 40 minutes. That’s fantastic for a real flying vehicle, but it’s still not good enough to completely replace other kinds of transportation.
Is it road-legal?
Definitely not. Not in Japan, or for that matter anyplace else in the globe. There is simply no legal structure in place for these types of cars because they do not exist yet. Of course, it’s tough to picture seeing a hoverbike leisurely “riding” above normal traffic unless all cars were flying. The Xturismo can only be used on private properties and race circuits for the time being (and for many years to come).
