Compact, silent and futuristic, Hirobo’s one-man electric helicopter looks like the ultimate James Bond gadget! Recently showcased at an expo in Nagoya, the helicopter prototype can travel up to 100km/h (62 mph) and fly for 30 minutes at a time. The one-seater chopper is currently under development for use as personal transportation and emergency relief.
The helicopter is equipped with an electric engine that doesn’t produce any noise or pollution. Its predecessor (developed under the name GEN H-4) claimed to be the world’s smallest manned helicopter. It was also much cheaper, but it used noisy gasoline.
According to the company, the all-electric helicopter will be sold for 30 million yen ($375,000). The unmanned models will be significantly cheaper, at 10 million yen (over $120,000). Hirobo also hopes to develop two-seater versions, as their market researches show great potential for mass production. They believe the domestic market alone for this kind of technology will grow to 10 billion yen (over $120 million) by 2021.
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See more over at Inhabitat.
