Our concept of what the 'flying motorcycle' could look like.
A recent interview with current hoverboard world record holder, Franky Zapata, unveiled some very interesting hints of what awesome tech may be coming in the near future.
He told Gizmag that they are working on building something:
"Like a flying machine from Star Wars."
This sounds totally awesome and plausible given what we've already seen his team accomplish. I mean honestly, who would've thought the Flyboard would catch on?
This concept of hoverbikes and flying jetbikes isn't new, but the fact that Zapata Racing has a track record and can likely build a device that could be commercialized is the important bit to focus on.
He goes on further to state:
"I think in the next few months, we will be able to have this machine working. Our goal is to first help the army or French security to work against terrorism, like what happened in Paris. If you have a flying board or flying motorcycle, you can take off in 30 seconds and catch the people in minutes. The motorcycle will carry the fuel, so it will be able to fly for almost 30 minutes at 300 km/h."
He seems to be very confident in creating this next-gen vehicle, especially given his current prototype is so new. If the French military green-lights this and provides funding, we definitely see this project turning into a reality and possibly allowing them the resources to build a consumer version one day. I can only imagine what type of legislation will have to follow as this would likely create an entire new category for personal transportation vehicles.
Private companies, individuals, and general demand from the public could also help bring this to light if they can deliver a safe and reliable product.
We will have to just wait and see. We are optimistic!
If you missed the world record flight, you can catch it below or find more information here.