WATCH VIDEO: The invention of Flying Bikes
A group of designers from the Czech Republic have found a novel way for cyclists to beat the rush hour traffic -- flying over it.
The 95kg remotely-controlled prototype bicycle is fitted out with six battery-powered propellers which, when activated at Prague's Letnany exhibition grounds this week, enabled it, complete with dummy rider, to hover several meters above the ground for five minutes, at which point the batteries had expended all of their charge.
The designers stress that as battery technology improves, so will the bike's flight time and they intend to continue developing the concept until the contraption is capable of carrying a real passenger.
Speaking to Czech publication Ceske Noviny, project member Ales Kobylik claimed to have been inspired by Czech adventure writer Jaroslav Foglar and the Czech science-fiction film "The Stolen Airship" based on Jules Verne's "Two Years Holiday" novel. "Our main motivation in working on the project was neither profit nor commercial interest, but the fulfilment of our boyish dreams," he said. - Relaxnews
