Long gone is the hype around fan-powered “hover crafts” and water blasting “jet packs” that only hinted at the high-tech sci-fi future so many of us have dreamed of one day being brought out of fiction and into reality.
Enter the Volonaut Airbike; Developed in Poland by creator Tomasz Patan, this jet-powered one-pilot flying craft leaves behind the gimmicky frills of so many other attempts at such projects, as to better showcase and focus on expert mechanical engineering and design.
Though the Volonaut Airbike doesn’t try and directly copy sci-fi inspirations as to not distract from the reductionist quality of the machine itself, watching as it zips through the trees and across the countryside has made it difficult for many interested sci-fi enthusiasts not to notice the similarities to the very well-known and recognizable speeder bike from the Star Wars franchise.
It’s clear that Volonaut has taken notice of the Star Wars centric comments and suggestions of the fans of their endeavor, as they have decided to play along and cleverly market their invention to a broader audience. In celebration of Star Wars Day on May the 4th, Volonaut released this video on their socials of one of their riders in full Imperial Scout Trooper armor, testing out their newest prototype of the Airbike:
With no visible propellers, wings, suspension, or any other recognizable features of a flying machine apart from the angular struts that serve as landing gear similar to what might be seen on a helicopter, the design remains sleek and mysterious.
Everything included serves a purpose, and everything excluded serves to save weight, maintain stability, and improve flight. The pilot’s stance imitates the rider of a super-bike, but instead of rolling down a track at high speeds, they glide through the sky with an uninterrupted 360-degree view to allow for real time on-the-fly orientation, while preserving the sense of motion akin to riding a motorcycle.
The Volonaut Airbike doesn’t simply hover like a drone, it carves its way through the air using its directional jet propulsion. There are no high-speed fan blades to get in the way or limit mobility, as the Airbike features an enclosed jet system to power lift and thrust, though Volonaut hasn’t yet given exact details as to the likely proprietary design.
Using a stabilization system that is definitely proprietary, allow for inputs to be managed and filtered by the flight computer, allowing the pilot/rider to steer and stop with fewer corrections to be made. The machine seems sharply reactive and relatively speedy in all of the footage they’ve so far released on their website and social media platforms.
It’s also important to note that this isn’t just a concept for a possible future machine. The brilliant minds at Volonaut are flying this Airbike now. We don’t know when or if it will ever hit the civilian market, but for many sci-fi fans of galaxies far far away, it’s something worth keeping an eye on for now. May the 4th be with you!
