Israeli hover-jeep returns to flight testing

The "AirMule" robot hover-jeep being developed in Israel is back in flight tests following modifications: but the radical ducted-fan VTOL craft still has yet to fly untethered. The latest, wheeled 'AirMule' robot hover-jeep configuration. credit: Urban Aero Easier to push about on the ground, too. According to makers Urban …

[Anonymous Coward]

Can it run on renewable fuel?

After all, that seems to be an important topic for Lewis...

[Richard Taylor 2]

shurely

it just needs to have been built out of the EU to be worth considering - Israel appears half and half

[Graham Bartlett]

Ambitious PR?

"somewhat quieter than helicopters"

Not quite sure how they're going to manage that. You don't get a free pass from gravity, so you still need to shift a mass of air equal to the vehicle's mass. If your blade area is smaller, the blades need to be moving faster. Plus there's the gas turbine, which ain't exactly going to be quiet.

Still some very nifty technology though. And unlike Moller and similar nutters, these guys look like they're going about it in a properly structured way with sensible testing throughout.

[Cameron Colley]

I may be wrong.

I thought the main source of very loud noise from helicopters was due to the angled blades hitting each other's wake vortices rather than the air shifted? You can just push air with a fan fairly quietly in comparison.

[James Hughes 1]

Rolling liftoff?

Without any sort of visible aero lifting surface (that isn't a fan), how can a rolling start increase lifting capacity?

Gas turbines on the other hand seem to be the way to go. Fewer moving parts than an IC engine (although the bits that do move are very fast indeed). Does this thing use electric motors from leccy generated by the GT? (didnt notice it in the article)

[bob 46]

lift

A rotating blade will act a lot like a wing in forward motion, so the fans may be the same? Choose the right angle of attack, and it may well provide more lift than vto. I'm not an expert tho :-)

[laird cummings]

Body shape..?

The supplied photo looks more-than-vaguely like a 'lifting body' - If it can get sufficient forward motion, there's a lot of 'wing' area in that body.

[Marvin the Martian]

"Urban Aeronautics"

In other words, the company promises me a flying car. Again.

Deliver this time, or I will sue...

[Rolf Howarth]

Excellent

It's Thunderbird 2 !!

[Elmer Phud]

TB2?

It looks more like a year 2 'junk modelling' TB2

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude! Where's my flying car?

Nuff said...

[hugo tyson]

Forward motion helps choppers

...'cos they have clean still air to bite into, rather than what they just all stirred up.

[Graham Bartlett]

@Body shape

Lifting body is certainly a good idea for a bit of extra relief on the fans when you're going at speed. In the "hovering-outside-a-window" mode though, it doesn't help any.

Re hovering outside a window, does anyone else think they're going to have stability problems as their wash hits the walls (and possibly ground) below and sends rotor (that's rotor airflow,) whizzing around every which way?

[laird cummings]

Ducted airflow

Sseems shoud reduce issues of turbulence alongside relatively smooth walls at height - you'd be more-or-less maintaining on thrust alone. Once you get into ground effect though, the ducted airflow may present some worries.

In regard to body shape, I was addressing the question about forward motion, liftoff, and heavier-than-normal loads asked above. Clearly, if you're hovering, forward motion will be of no importance.

;-)

[John F***ing Stepp]

What?

"Flying Cars against them for Christs sake!"

I don't really think any Jewish person would do anything for Christ's sake.

Neither would a Jedi Knight or a follower of FSM.

But whatever, may the force of the Ninjas and the Pirates be with you.

[Charles Manning]

Would you trust a robot to fly out your injured buddy?

Well what are the alternatives? If I have to choose between putting my buddy in one of these or him not getting any medical support then it's a nobrainer!