$85K hoverbike could soon be yours

(Aerofex/Twitter)


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SALT LAKE CITY — The future of travel has arrived, and it looks a lot like science fiction. A company has engineered a hoverbike that will be on the market in 2017.

Aerofex, a company dedicated to making flight available for everyone, has designed a flying bike that will go for an estimated $85,000. Interested buyers are welcome to sign up for their hoverbike today.

"The device is named the Aero-X and it takes up about as much room as a small car," the BBC said. "Eventually there will be space for just two passengers though, and early prototypes show only one brave test-rider, who perches on top of two horizontal spinning blades encased in circular housings."

The the company’s CTO, Mark DeRoche, said he intends for the bike to be a help to farmers, law enforcement and emergency responders, according to the BBC.

The aim of the Aero-X is that it will be easy for anyone to fly, even or especially those with no pilot experience.

"We've done a lot of work to learn how to remove (the complexity of helicopter controls)," DeRoche told Discovery News. "That's the key for someone who only has motorcycle experience to able to get on it and feel comfortable right away."

"The company says that should be possible, and that the rider sits in a position where the vehicle responds to his movements similar to the way a motorcycle would," the BBC said. "Aerofex says it has found that, for this type of vehicle, it makes sense to fly up to around 20 feet above the ground."

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Amanda Taylor

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