Hoversurf Inc. is a Russian transportation tech startup with offices in Moscow and San Francisco. In a broad sense, they design and build vehicles. Taking a more detailed look at what they do, things get fascinating.
With slogans like “Revolution in Human Mobility” or “ATaaS – AIR TRANSPORT as a SERVICE”, they made us curious.
If you look through older projects, you can see concepts like the Drone Taxi, or the Cargo Drone. But what are they up to right now?
Scorpion-3 Hoverbike
On February 16th, 2017, only a few days ago, they have released a trailer video of their latest design on YouTube. The Scorpion-3 (S-3) hoverbike was demonstrated to function in this 1:40-minute video. Within only a few days, the video was watched more than 750 thousand times already.
The idea behind the design is simple. The Hoversurf Inc. team wanted to build a platform that rides like a motorbike but can fly through the air. Four rotors keep the rider in mid air. The vehicle is controlled by adjusting these rotors in order for the Scorpion-3 to maneuver into a different direction or height.
Safety
The perception of this new type of vehicle was divided into shock and awe. Many people thought the Scorpion-3 hoverbike was an excellent idea and it deserves to be further developed. Others were shocked about the missing safety measures in the vehicular design and commented that pilots will surely die or get severely injured if they were to experience machine failure or accidents.
The rotor blades of the tested prototype were displayed on video to be not covered. In this current construction, they would be a safety risk to the pilot and do other people, who might happen to be near the bike, in the case of an accident.
The prototype pilot is wearing protective gear, that looks similar to a Cross-Biking suit and helmet, but if those knee pads would protect the pilot from getting their limbs chopped off is unclear. If the blades hit a wall and get detached from the rotor, they could injure others people as well.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQfh3dfDiUJ/?taken-by=aatamanov
Unconfirmed specifications
When users were discussing the specifications of the Scorpion-3 and its flight time, user Asatoth stated, “max. speed 50 kph, max. weight 150 kg, flight time 27 minutes”. A source for this information was not provided.
Also, the video is showing us only visuals. Based on the mechanics that seem to be working this platform vehicle, it could be deafening.
Summary
This vehicle should be considered as an early prototype and conception. Most certainly Hoversurf Inc. will need to work on the safety of the Scorpion-3, or they will not get a permit for selling these in any country.
The current hype around what they have achieved so far will hopefully help them in securing funding or perhaps supporting sponsorships. With the newly acquired budget they would be in a better position to continue their work, and we will hopefully live to see people biking around the air in the near future. Best of luck to Hoversurf Inc.!
YouTube: Hoverbike Scorpion-3 TRAILER 2017
Photo credit: Hoversurf Inc.
