Check Out the 16-Prop, All-Electric ‘Multicopter’ Make Its First Manned Liftoff!
- Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:30am by
Liz Klimas
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(Photo: E-Volo)
Could this machine that looks and sounds like a bug be the future of human flight? E-volo, the German company that created this “multicopter”, which runs on 100 percent electrical power, thinks so.
According to E-volo’s website, the multicopter has 16 propellers in all and can fly on its battery charge for up to a 30 minute flight.
Watch it take off on its first manned mission, which lasted a minute and a half:
The multicopter lifts off like a traditional helicopter and is controlled by a joystick. The website says that the pilot doesn’t have to pay as much attention to things that matter in conventional flight such as minimum speed, stall, gas mixture control and pitch control. In the event of an emergency, unlike in a helicopter, the passenger can use a parachute since the propellers are below their feet not above.
(Photo: E-Volo)
The company foresees application of the multicopter mostly in the sport and leisure sector, but also potentially for things like field inspections where helicopters could cause too much disturbance.
[H/T Treehugger]
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Comments (172)
Warphead
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:22pmI think it’s great. Electric motors controled by increase/decrease in voltage coupled with an onboard computer to keep everything on the up and up. The real potential comes when a breakthrough in battery technology arrives. What a great idea. I want one.
Report Post »jb.kibs
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 3:11pmpretty cool.
Report Post »c0mm0nsense
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 3:11pm“I want one” Thats what the other 2 guys said when Hans was hugging his lady.
Report Post »V-MAN MACE
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 3:15pmIt is great.
But I see a nasty crash happening with multiple spinning blades surrounding a operator…
Report Post »StanO360
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 3:58pmThey’re variable speed motors? They’re very small for the output.
Why do Euros have such odd musical sensibilities?
Report Post »mwhdvm
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 4:04pmI agree – looks very cool. But if you have an incident in flight, looks like it’ll double as a human food processor…
Report Post »ozchambers
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 4:50pmOh yeah. I cant see ANYTHING going wrong with this contraption.
Report Post »ozchambers
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 4:52pmAnd I loved how he was hugging his girl like he was Lingburgh landing in Paris.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 5:38pmCan you say, “Vegematic”?
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 5:42pmTurn the props up-side-down, reverse their pitch and it would make one hell of a lawn mower.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 5:44pmI guess the bouncing ball under the pilot is for a soft landing if it fails.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 6:40pmKeep your hands and your feet to yourself at all times…
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 7:04pmFlying mostly electric RC airplanes myself, I am not shocked to finally see a manned version of this contraption which smaller RC versions of it already exist. Lipo batts and big outrunner motors for the power sources were something that did not exist until just a few years ago. Still cool though and I would fly one myself.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 9:52pmMake it remote control and use it for OWS riot control.
Report Post »420 Patriot
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:48pmAh, this is a prototyp. Now the next step will be making some type of body to sit in with safety features. I think this is cool. Price when finished??
Report Post »JL320
Posted on November 5, 2011 at 12:12amI dunno, I just don’t like the thought of sitting in between a bunch of little rotors.
Report Post »TOCOF
Posted on November 6, 2011 at 12:58amCool…but by the time all the regulations and design elements necessary to pass government regulations are incorporated…it will take a Chinook to lift it to get it air born.
Report Post »Tom
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:22pmREALITY CHECK …..Its a coal powered human Food Processor. Can I get one for my ex -wife.
Report Post »SgtHenick
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 1:43pmHahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »absolutelynot
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 1:50pmway to many spinning blades alligned with flesh for me. also if 1 motor fails then what will the others ramp and offset the coming catastrophe????
Report Post »Harry Assenback
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 2:15pmCapitalism at it’s finest. Take a product and make it better, rebrand it and find another use. 3 easy payments of $39.95.
Report Post »Denmerls
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 2:46pmYes!!! Thats awsome!!! Great point!!!
Report Post »marvlus
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 2:52pmBut wait, if you act now, we’ll double the offer for free. Just pay 9.95 for shipping and handling.
Report Post »jb.kibs
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 3:16pm;) that’s one way to look at it.. lol
Report Post »Tronix
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 10:52pmWait, think in Christmas….why don’t you buy another one for your mother in law too?
Report Post »nappy
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:19pmThe small battery packs under the motors would take you .. maybe a mile.
By the time you actually made this safe it wouldn’t get off the ground.
No auto-gyro means a hard chute landing when those batteries fail.
What happens when one motor fails? Not good.
Looks like a fun, dangerous replacement for a backyard swing set.
Report Post »ColorMeRedd
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 1:11pmDon’t forget expensive. This people sent a lot of money in order to contribute absolutly nothing to society.
Report Post »GrumpyCat
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 1:25pmAgree, this thing is very dangerous the first couple hundred feet above the ground before a parachute is operational. Conventional helicopters are relatively save in this range as long as the rotor system doesn’t fly apart.
Perhaps having 16 independent motors is considered redundant safety? Or is it just 16 opportunities for failure? All have to function in unison, so what happens if one fails? Is the fancy electronic controls synchronizing all the motors smart enough to compensate?
Report Post »SFsuper49er
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 2:12pmI guess the same thing would happen if the motor failed in a real one ! It would crash to the ground and you would be dead…. amazing the lives lost from people just trying to get from A to B…..
Report Post »Ed Savage
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 2:44pmTell me that the first gasoline car was perfect. Tell me it went 65 miles an hour and went 500 miles on a tank of gas from the very beginning. Tell me that you can’t see that we need experiments like this to lead to something better than what we have now. Tell me that you say no to it just because it is in its infancy and should be aborted because it causes things to be done differently than they are being done today.
We should cheer on people who try this stuff – not deride their efforts. Is it really time to close the patent office because everything we need has already been invented?
Report Post »000degrees
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 3:42pmYou are correct Ed. Life is meant for pushing the envelope. There is real value in being a pioneer. Some would rather sit on their “safe” couch……..
Report Post »nappy
Posted on November 5, 2011 at 12:31amED.. you may not know this but helicopters have already been invented. Not only that but they’ve gone through 60 years of refinements for safety and durability. So these guys didn’t really push any envelopes. They strapped 16 motors on a light structure and lifted one man off the ground for a few seconds.
I am not saying this isn’t an achievement. But it isn‘t anything spectacular and won’t lead to any kind of personal transportation, much less an actual vehicle. Extrapolate this prototype out to where it would need to be to actually provide a service and you will see what I mean. This is playtime, not pioneering.
There are plenty of hairbrained ideas out there for people to cheer. Go for it.
Report Post »Gary Fishaholic
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:17pmVery Cool I like it!
Report Post »welovetheUSA
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:17pmThey just can’t make some Safe…………good grief.
Report Post »symphonic
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 1:10pmTHAT LOOKS extremely dangerous, with all those rotating knives spinning at high velocity at waist height. Hope one does not come loose. Hope you don’t have a crash landing and bend the device and fall into a blade. Good grief.
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:14pmI think Al Gore should be the test pilot when it really goes up in the air.
Report Post »affinnity
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:56pmI agree and it should go way up.
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 1:03pm@affinity:
Report Post »Yeah…way, way, up…where the temperature is millions of degrees below zero….
shirtsbyeric
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 1:56pmAl Gore did fly it and he took it up as high as it could go, then he came crashing down and when they asked him what happened he said “It got cold up there so I turned off all those fans.”
Report Post »PATRIOTGRUNT
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:13pmSo what !. This is all a pipe dream. Rich boys with their expensive toys. Just as the “ Green Car ” all of this is total waste of time. Trillions of $ have been spent on Battery power storage technology and what, a 40-100 miles per charge Volt @ 40k plus , 80+k Tessla toy. All a scam to separate the fools from their money.
Report Post »Erabin
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:25pmThat’s because the Volt is a piece of junk, not because the principle is bad. The Germans built an electric that ran from Munich to Berlin (almost 400 miles) on a single charge. The car can be recharged fully in 6 minutes and the battery is 97% effective. And as a bonus, it even LOOKS like a real car.
Batteries are improving all the time. Look back at cell phones 15 year ago, big as a brick with a charge time of 30 minutes. Things improve.
Report Post »wlc74
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 1:42pmErabin – Can you tell me what the name of that car is?
Report Post »Duio67
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 2:12pm@WLC74 It’s an Audi
Check out http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2010/10/26/German-electric-car-sets-world-record/UPI-84921288102816/
Report Post »o DEAN x
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 2:18pm@WLC74 http://www.germanlife.com/2010/11/12/electric-car-tops-600-kilometers-on-test-drive/
Report Post »82fdny
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:11pmAll electric? Shouldnt it say all coal powered?
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:18pmYep, all electric. Steven Chu just gave him a $5,000,000,000 loan guarantee.
Report Post »Harry Assenback
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:07pmHe’s missing one propeller…………..on his head. Dork!
Report Post »chicago76
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:31pmLol
Report Post »bikerr
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 1:43pmFunny!–remember r-a-g-m-o-p?
Report Post »Stevsea
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:04pmWhat if he drops the remote controls when he’s airborne?
Report Post »ranger22x
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:11pmFor some reason sitting in the mist of sixteen weedeater heads spinning doesn;t sound safe to me
Report Post »Buck Shane
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:18pm“up to thirty minutes”
Report Post »What happens when the batteries run down?
Better not fly over water – or forest – or cities – or high traffic roads – or outside walking distance from alternate transportation.
its_the_economy_stupid
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:31pmHe’s wearing a seatbelt…he’s fine…
Report Post »trueblueday
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:59amFor some odd reason(s), I’m not impressed. Looks like some of the very first attempts at flight over 100 years ago.
Oh, and by the way, if that darn thing ever tips on it’s side, that guy’s going to get shredded to pieces. The parachut won’t help in that instance.
Report Post »TSUNAMI-22
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:58amI feel sorry for the poor 10 year old getting charged with manslaughter just for flying his kite.
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:57amI used to fly small planes and this thing looks unstable as heII…. No thanks. I’ll pass.
Report Post »Will4Freedom
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:58pmYeah, I used to fly Ultralights that looked as flimsy as this thing. But hey… The Wright Brothers didn’t build an F-18 did they? Baby steps at first.
We might find a use for this some day. Way back Curtiss-Wright built a vertical take off plane. It had four engines/propellers. It was shelved for decades. Now we have the V22 Osprey using similar technology.
They might use this thing for remote surveillance or something in the future.
Report Post »TSUNAMI-22
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:56amThis will eventually end up on one of those “black and white” aviation failure movies set to some Benny Hill tune.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:53amI hope they spec torqued those parts together and didn’t use non-standard nuts and bolts.
Report Post »Erabin
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:17pmThey’re Germans, great engineering is basically generic there. So I’ll go with “yes”.
Report Post »drphil69
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:53amSCARY! I wouldn’t get on that thing!
Report Post »Hickory
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:53amInteresting……………………
Report Post »Naram-Sin
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:52amTraffic congestion? Solved. Global warming? Solved. Of course parking is a problem in Germany and you can’t fly it in narrow city streets.
I’m pretty sure I saw this advertised on the Food Channel as an industrial strength food processor. It’s great for dicing a flock of geese.
Report Post »chicago76
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:33pmThey already have those. They are called wind powered generators.
Report Post »cemerius
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:50amI don’t see this device going up to safe parachute levels and just because it runs on electricity (provided by fossil fules I bet) ALL the products that make this creation possible use fossil fules as well….great concept but I don’t see it going anywhere…….I personally would rather walk then fly!
Report Post »heavyduty
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:47amCan you imagine what’s going to happen when the battery runs out or a motor give out. Long way down.
Report Post »cemerius
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:52am100 foot fall can kill and is too low for an unrocket assisted parachute release……yeah put this pack in the closet I say! :)
Report Post »McNamara
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:46amAdd some weapons to it and now you have a great military sale.
Report Post »Paul Kersey
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:45amOne of the dumbest ideas I’ve ever seen..
Report Post »Oldnintheway
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:43amIs this where they get the nickname “chopper”?
Report Post »ottb
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 10:11pmVic Morrow comes to mind.
Report Post »Unalienable Rights
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:42amIt looks like the landing gear is a yoga ball.
Report Post »TexasHunter
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 12:17pmHeld on with Krazy Glue. :)
Report Post »Dustoff
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:37amNice, but what they didn’t say. You now have 16 things to go wrong.
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:49amTrue, but this is a prototype! Innovation is great where ever it springs from.
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