The first-ever flying bike has been unveiled by a company called Volonaut. The design and propulsion are something straight out of Star Wars. The science fiction stories that we all grew up with are becoming a reality, and this new flying bike is just the newest innovation in the personal mobility sector. The world is searching for more efficient forms of transport. Volonaut might have created something that could be the end of the car as we know it. Imagine if you will, a future where cities are populated with these flying bikes zipping around the skyline and no cars in sight.
What is the history of the flying bike in the personal mobility sector?
While the flying bike has been in the minds of the worlds engineers for a long time, the reality of actually seeing one in your lifetime was slim to say the least. Movies like Back to the Future and Star Wars gave us a view of a theoretical future where flying cars and bikes where the norm. With highways in the sky, the idea of a flying vehicle has amazed and inspired a generation of engineers and designers.
While some startups have made something closer to a hoverbike, Volonaut has created something truly unique. We have all been in the same situation where we are sitting in a traffic jam, and our minds begin to wander. We imagine being able to push a button and feel the vehicle shift and start to hover upwards. We would then hover over all the traffic and wave at the people stuck in their cars. Now we can actually see that come to reality, hopefully.
While the invention is without a doubt amazing and an incredible achievement for anyone, let alone a single person, it will need to go through a ring of fire to actually be allowed to come to market. The safety regulations that the Volonaut flying bike will need to meet would be astounding, perhaps even industry changing. How would the governments of the world regulate when and where one could use the flying bike?
Can the Volonaut flying bike become the best form of transport for the future?
If the flying bike and Volonaut can navigate the treacherous regulatory environments of the world’s governing bodies, they could potentially bring the invention to the mobility market. The only competition that Volonaut might face is the XTurismo or Razor Flying Motorcycle, which are considered to be more of a hoverbike than an actual flying bike.
The inventor, Polish national Tomasz Patan, has a history of creating unique one-person vehicles. He created the Jetson One, a one-person eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) craft. He then began working on his flying bike. While details are slim to none, the Polish inventor has released a video showing what the flying bike is capable of, and it is truly astounding.
The propulsion comes from jet engines. The body is extremely lightweight, no doubt a necessity, consisting of carbon fiber and other lightweight materials. Speeds are reportedly going to be around 125 MPH, so it will basically be a superbike in the sky. Other than those few details, Patan has not revealed much else about the flying bike. The innovation in the superbike industry is impressive, but nothing like the flying bike from Volonaut.
Will the governments of the world even allow the flying bike to be sold in their countries?
We cannot see a future where the governments of the world do not allow such an incredible form of personal mobility to be sold in their countries. As long as Volonaut can refine the technology and prove the flying bike is safe for anyone to use with minimal training, it will surely become a reality sooner rather than later.
The ever-changing horizon of the automotive sector has forced the world to consider a vast range of alternative transport. The traditional gasoline-powered vehicle has become something of a relic in a society where sustainable fuels are the new normal.
