US Army helps fund development of hoverbike

HOVER technology is almost a reality — and no, that’s not because we’re finally in 2015 and Back to the Future is becoming a reality.

25/05/2010 CARS: Michael J Fox. Back to the Future. Hoverboard

HOVER technology is almost a reality — and no, that’s not because we’re finally in 2015 and Back to the Future is becoming a reality.

No, Michael J Fox won’t be hovering around, but a UK based company have developed technology that could make his hoverboard a reality.

But Malloy Aeronautics have given up on the idea of a board — they’re looking to create a hoverbike.

They’ve been trying to get the project off the ground for years now, even going to Kickstarter in an attempt to fund development.

And it looks like their dreams might become reality, after the US Department of Defense recently announced a deal with Malloy for them to develop the hoverbike for the US Army.

It’s believed that the US government is interested in the vehicles for search and rescue missions. The guarded rotors mean its safe and won’t rip into any humans or other objects, while it’s also much cheaper than a helicopter. The maneuverability and ability to operate either autonomously or with a human pilot is also appealing.

The creators of the hoverbike told Reuters that along with search and rescue missions, it could also be used for cargo delivery and surveillance. They even plan to develop an attachable humanoid figure with camera mounted onto its helmet.

At this stage, Malloy doesn’t have a working full-sized model, instead using a 1/3 size prototype for development. The first step to get the hoverbike into use will be to build a full-sized working model, before the army redesigns it with military-grade materials.

At the same time, Malloy is still trying to develop a commercial version of the hoverbike for you and I.