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Insert Coin: Atlas human-powered helicopter gunning for elusive Sikorsky prize (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. The AeroVelo group, a team of students and professional engineers, wants its Atlas helicopter to hover for one minute, reaching at least three meters (10 feet) powered by human muscle alone. If the grunt-powered machine succeeds, it'll nab the American Helicopter Society International's $250,000 Sikorsky Prize, which has gone unclaimed since it launched in 1980 -- with the best efforts barely leaving the ground. But the University of Toronto-based team reckons it has the chops, with two PhDs aboard and Snowbird, the first successful human-power ornithopter, under its belt. The Atlas will feature four rotors like a 1994 design from Japan, which flew for 19 seconds, a simple and stable configuration that required less pilot power than other models. The would-be flyers have rustled up more than $27k toward the $30k target with 35 hours left, so if you'd like to help out -- and fulfill the dream of eccentric inventors everywhere -- hit the source link for details.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: fly like a bird, bend batteries in half, and spray clothing from a can
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week saw several amazing feats of aeronautics as we showcased the world's first continuous flight of a human-powered ornithopter and the sun-powered Solar Impulse plane embarked upon an incredible voyage across Switzerland. We also watched transportation take off as BMW unveiled a zippy new electric scooter, Sanitov launched a GPS enabled cargo tricycle in London, and this week's Green Overdrive show took us off-roading on a souped-up e-bike! Renewable energy tech also energized the globe as several countries in Central America launched plans to tap volcanoes for power and China developed the world's first directly solar-powered air conditioning unit. Energy storage also got a big boost as Stanford researchers unveiled a new type of bendable battery made out of paper - just the thing to power the flexible e-readers of the future. In other news, this week we brought you exclusive coverage of the greatest green designs from this year's London Design Festival and we showcased the latest in wearable tech - instant spray-on clothing in a can! Finally, we tackled an issue that has plagued tech junkies forever - those impossible-to-open clamshell plastic packages.
Snowbird ornithopter sets record for human-powered flight (video)
In August this year, a Canadian engineering student achieved a first -- in fact, one of the last firsts in aviation. A human powered ornithopter (a craft that flies by flapping its wings) flew for 19.3 seconds, traveling some 475 feet at an average speed of 15.9 miles an hour. Built by University of Toronto grad students Todd Reichert and Cameron Robertson, the project required that the pilot (Reichert) lose 17 pounds, maintain a special diet, and train daily. Named Snowbird, the craft weighs under 95 pounds and has a wingspan of some 105 -- comparable to a Boeing 737. It was towed aloft by a car, after which the pilot pumped a set of pedals with his feet, which caused the wings to flap. Unlike previous attempts in the past, the Canadian group was able to provide telemetry data to prove that the craft flew under its own power. On confirmation by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, the craft is set to receive the award for the longest sustained flight by a human-powered ornithopter. Video after the break.
