Posted on 07/12/2013 6:43:47 PM PDT by Seizethecarp
A team of engineers from Canada has won a $250,000 (£165,000; 192,000 euros) prize for making the first human-powered helicopter. The contraption - called Atlas - reached an altitude of 3.3 metres for 64 seconds under pedal-power, meeting a challenge set by the American Helicopter Society 33 years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Now fly it across the English channel like they did the human powered plane back in the late 70s.
Very cool.
Personally I think it’s a ridiculous contraption good for nothing.
Actually, you’re right. Still, it is a Rube Goldberg contraption that does exactly what it was required to do.
I love stuff like that.
I don’t think that thing would last two seconds in any sort of wind conditions. I’d love to see out fly outside on a calm day though.
The cyclist seemed to be having to keep it under control. It wanted to lift too high.
Is a cord being unwound from those spools under the rotors to provide the rotational drive? I did not have sound, maybe they explained it. I’m puzzled that there appears to be very little “mechanism” adjacent to the rear axle of the bike. Wish they would have provided close-up views.
I'd love to see two of them in a dogfight.
I give it twenty seconds and it would look like a box of tinker-toys turned upside down.
True. I have RC copters and the electronic stabilization on all flight axis is very impressive, especially in gusty winds. The smallest ones would be impossible to fly without the computer and gyros/accelerometers. The man-powered heli is certainly large enough but enough control throw in the cyclic to overcome gusts (if it had any) could never be built in because of its light rotor loading.
Not being nearly as informed as you are on the subject, I take it you’re referencing the relative light props that keep the thing up, and how hard it would be to control each to the extent you could keep the thing level even if you used a computer chip to do it. If that’s what your point is, I would have to agree. If it’s not your point, I’m lost at this point... :^)
Yes, exactly. The total weight of the aircraft relative to the total area of the rotors is small. Thus it would be very susceptible to gusts upsetting it. The way the helicopters deal with gusts is to tilt the rotors (”cyclic”), but these could never be tilted enough to compensate for the gusts. As it is now it appears there is no rotor control at all and the thing just relies on inertia to stay level.
“They” said pretty much the same thing about the first cars, the first computers the first ....
That ain’t nothing. Back about 30 years ago I hovered twice that high and 3 times that long. Just let a pissed off momma Javalina get after you and you can do it to!
Thanks. It does appear that way doesn’t it.
It just seemed to float there. I would love to see that thing fly in person.
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