Working hoverbike recalls Luke Skywalker's landspeeder

Rowan Hooper, news editor

(Image: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA/Rex Features)

Although strictly speaking this is more like a speeder bike used by imperial stormtroopers on the forest moon Endor, we think this photo invokes the more innocent pleasures afforded by Luke Skywalker's landspeeder, which he used on the desert planet Tatooine.

But enough sci-fi indulgence. Aerofex, an aerospace company in California, has released images and video of its working prototype hover bike. According to the website Innovation News Daily, rotors on the underside of the vehicle provide lift, and the pilot controls the bike by leaning to the left and right (much as a regular bike might work).

Sadly, it seems the company does not plan to market this bike for the public: it intends to develop it as a pilot-less drone.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/22a72897/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A120C0A80Cworking0Ehoverbike0Erecalls0Eluke0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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