We still don’t have flying cars regularly plying our skies in 2013 and we doubt they’re getting here any time soon. Might as well get our fill of futuristic rides with RC toys, right? The B Hybrid Car and Quadrocopter is exactly the kind of flying car we’d like to have sometime in our future. Actually can I have one now please?
In flight mode, it’s a quad-rotor RC helicopter that will take off vertically, then hover and fly towards any direction you take it to. In land driving mode, it turns into a racer with large 8.6-inch wheels (which are referred to as “driving rings”) that allow it to run even on muddy, rocky and uneven terrains. The best part is, it can take off for flight while driving on land — no stopping necessary to make the transition.
The B uses a clever design that puts the 7-inch propellers inside each of the oversized driving rings, optimizing the car’s use of space while providing adequate protection for the propellers. During a crash after a failed flight, the rings are designed to cushion hard falls, sparing other parts of the vehicle from absorbing the impact, with the same rings protecting the propellers when it encounters any impact on land. Construction is polycarbonate for the main chassis, with a rigid and lightweight body that’s designed to be flexible when taking the hit on crashes (as a result of your bad driving, of course).
Each driving ring is ran by cog mechanisms at the bottom of the rim, while the propellers use individual brushless motors to operate. Features include a built-in 720p camera for capturing video during flights, a microSD card slot for storing footage, and compatibility with standard RC transmitters.
Currently a project on Kickstarter, the B Hybrid Car and Quadrocopter is in the process of raising funding for a full production run. You can reserve yourself a unit with pledges starting at £125.