I don’t know about you, but if you were to stake my life by getting me on board a one-man helicopter that runs on just battery power alone, I would think more than just twice. After all, electric power for helicopters is still in its infancy, and is anything goes awry, it would mean I would have regretted not taking flying lessons from the birds that regularly stop by my backyard. Being in an electric car is a whole lot safer – if the car loses power, at least I remain grounded. Well, Hirobo of Japan has far more faith in their electric powered one-man helicopter than I do, where the counter-rotating flying vehicle is remote operated or flown by a pilot, where it is capable of hitting a maximum speed of 62mph for up to half an hour.
Being remote controlled would also allow you to fly it in an emergency to the location of distress, picking up the person in need and bringing them back to base safely. Not only that, since it runs on electric power and does not have an engine, it will work far more silently than traditional helicopters, helping locate a person hypothetically crying out for help. Known as the Hirobo HX-1, it has already received $125 million in investment and research, hoping that it will be ready for a commercial 2021 debut.
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