Researchers in South Korea have succeeded in increasing the performance of a flying motorcycle known as a hoverbike by 60% compared to foreign products. Expectations are rising that the time when hoverbikes can play a role in various fields, including logistics and rescue operations, is approaching.
A research team led by Professor Bang Hyo-chung from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has jointly developed a multipurpose vertical take-off and landing hoverbike platform (base technology) that can be operated both manned and unmanned with researchers from Hanseo University and Dong-A University, they noted on the 27th.
A hoverbike is a mode of transportation that moves through the air by means of power generated by propellers, resembling a motorcycle. It has recently garnered attention as a next-generation urban air mobility (UAM) technology capable of carrying heavy loads and enabling long-distance flights, potentially replacing helicopters.
The research team has successfully secured optimal design, hybrid propulsion systems, highly reliable precision navigation and flight control systems, and autonomous flight and fault detection technologies necessary for the development of high-performance hoverbikes. The hoverbike platform they developed features a gasoline engine-based hybrid system that showed approximately 60% better performance than foreign products.
The newly developed hoverbike can also achieve stable flight even without a Global Positioning System (GPS) or when the signal is weak, using precision navigation technology. The autonomous flight system implements guidance techniques that select safe landing zones and has the ability to automatically avoid obstacles.
The researchers expect that the hoverbike can be utilized in various fields, including emergency delivery of supplies, logistics, and rescue operations.
Professor Bang said, "We have proven the high practicality of hoverbikes in various environments through highly reliable flight control and precision navigation technology," adding that it is "a promising research achievement that can surpass drone technology by several levels."
The hoverbike developed by the research team will be unveiled for the first time at the '2025 Drone Show Korea,' which will be held at BEXCO in Busan from February 26 to 28 next year.