Now THIS is podracing.
Star Wars fans may get a kick out of this new drone creation. Zhao Deli, a man from China created a hybrid of a motorcycle and a drone. This means that you can ride it while it glides into the air at 43 miles per hour. While at first glance it may seem like something out of a science fiction movie, this one is a proven machine. The large drone, named Jindouyun, is from a Chinese novel, and bears the meaning somersault cloud. A very apropos name to be sure. Deli hopes that one day the Jindouyun can reach the clouds above. According to the 40-year-old technician who created it, has already completed over 1,500 test flights. This testing period lasted over the course of two years.
And boy does it look promising.
The Jindouyun Motorcycle Drone:
After 1,546 test flights where he fixed one problem after another, Zhao Deli claims he finally found the winning combination. This is after attempt and problem fixing. Problems, which included on-board batteries combusting, crashes, and unplanned landings.
What’s next for Deli? Apparently, he wants to show off his new invention – as any proud creator should. He plans on using it to travel to places, showing off Jindouyun’s capabilities. The first in this cross-country tour is the Yellow River. A flying rider would definitely get eyes on his creation.
Although named after clouds, the Jindouyun isn’t there quite yet. At most, during test flights, it reached altitudes of 10-15 feet. Not high enough to challenge planes, but still high enough to make the rider feel like flying. Another limitation for the drone is its time use. One can only ride it at a maximum of 30 minutes per. This leaves a lot of break time and recharging periods if Deli plans his country trip.
Deli’s future plans for the Jindouyun involves farming. But as for now, the machine functions the same as a motorcycle – with flight capabilities. It may yet be a while before we can see functional uses for the drone, but hey – it’s a flying motorcycle. The future is closer now more than we have thought possible.
