Atlas: A Human-Powered Helicopter

[joachimd]

Wow competition is heating up as there is already a well established group called Upturn going after the prize. They also have a Kickstarter campaign and are much further along with a working model that is now getting tuned. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1594333219/make-aviation...

[yurisagalov]

This project is from the same team that recently set the Guinness World Record by building a Human Powered Ornithopter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E77j1imdhQ)

[Tichy]

That video seems weird: since apparently they launched the ornithopter with some machine, how is it even clear that it stayed afloat by using human power after launch? Where is the difference to a glider?

[adamgravitis]

Both Todd and Cam are brilliant aero engineers. While not a fait accompli, this certainly isn't their first negotiation with nature...

[rorrr]

That's not human powered, they accelerated it with a car. It's like saying hang-gliding is human-powered.

[starpilot]

Wow. I spent most of my undergrad extracurricular effort working on my university's HPH team. Incredibly difficult challenges in aerodynamics and structures. The goal is to go for a whole minute and reach 3 m altitude. In the few decades the prize has been offered, the record has been seconds and centimeters high.

[Unoeufisenough]

Is storing energy against the rules? for example pedaling for an hour or two to store up say mechanical energy in a flywheel, spring tension, hydraulic pressure or other means then just put the rotors in gear to lift off?

[option_greek]

I can understand the altitude limitation but whats limiting hover time.. losing balance ?

[suhastech]

Interesting. The first project they seem to have funded on Kickstarter.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1594333219/make-aviation...

[jonah]

This guy seems closer to the win. He's been iterating on this thing for years and is the current record holder. He also founded and sold Zero Motorcycles.

[joachimd]

That is a different project, different set of people.

[obilgic]

they wont get funded, just because their video does not really compete with other's

[alagu]

On some guesses of how future will be, I definitely see jetsons-type single/two person local commute micro-aircrafts.

Curious, who else is working on micro-aircrafts with engines for local commute?

[netrus]

I always fail to see the market there. Why is it superior to the car, considering the higher costs for fuel, that will be unavoidable?

[SagelyGuru]

It seems a bit pointless when it would be relatively easy with a dirigible (i.e. add a bag of hydrogen or helium). On a windless day, your pedalling should propel you quite a distance anywhere you want to go. Problem solved, with technology that is at least hundred years old.

[WestCoastJustin]

The goal is to win the American Helicopter Society (AHS) prize of 250k. The regulations (http://www.vtol.org/awards-and-contests/human-powered-helico...) specifically outlaw your suggestion -- although it was a good one ;)

4.1.1 The machine shall be a heavier-than-air machine. The use of lighter-than-air gases shall be prohibited.

[K2h]

More pictures of the streamlined high-speed recumbent bicycles at http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamince/page2/

[grannyg00se]

It looks like the state of the art right now gives us absolutely huge devices that barely even make it off the ground. Does anybody have any confidence that a human powered helicopter could ever be practical for real transport? Unless we humans somehow manage to multiply our sustained power output by several times, I don't see this happening.

[SagelyGuru]

I suggest at least eight strong men in a row. You get aerodynamic and scaling benefits, just like with rowing boats.

[xyzzyz]

Air vehicles are light, men are heavy.

[Tichy]

Why aim so low? I say kickstart a perpetuum mobile!

[crazy_eye]

Neat, but this idea can only go so far on this planet (gravity, etc). Maybe on our next planet...