Last summer a team of engineering students from the Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland created a human-powered helicopter called Gamera, they managed to get it off the ground and keep it aloft for 11 seconds. However their new model, the Gamera 2 managed to stay airborne for a solid 50 seconds, smashing the world record.
The Gamera II has been improved from its predecessor in many ways. It is 105 feet across, and each of the four rotors are 42 feet long. Thanks to the weight saving benefits of carbon fibre the entire helicopter weighs just 32 kilos, which is over 13 kilos lighter than the previous design.
intact fibulae define failure
Sweet birkenstocks bro!
I’d love to see Sir Chris Hoy on this bad boy!
I’d love to see Sir Chris Hoy on this bad boy!
UP UP AND GO
UP UP AND GO
Is really bullshit
Is really bullshit
retarded u
retarded u
retarded u
amazing they have done it. it may progress even further.
imagine this with an electric motor and perhaps pedal assist witht he right gearing so to keep up with the motor rpm. I think electric pedal assist is what we should concentrate on. I have figured human power alone won’t do it but i could be wrong.
Fake
Fake
Is it using some kind of gyro control of the rotor pitch to control attitude, or are there people holding it stable?
Is it using some kind of gyro control of the rotor pitch to control attitude, or are there people holding it stable?
bird: “LOL”
bird: “LOL”
would be nice to see an original idea, not a Yuri II replica (i know it’s probably structured differently etc), well done all the same.
would be nice to see an original idea, not a Yuri II replica (i know it’s probably structured differently etc), well done all the same.
the competition requires a height of 3metres, i.e out of ground effect
the competition requires a height of 3metres, i.e out of ground effect
optimised ratio for rotor rpm. More ratios, more weight.
optimised ratio for rotor rpm. More ratios, more weight.
you spend more than thousands of dollars just to lift that thing 5 inches from than ground…oh well,anyways that seems to be a good cardio work out …
you spend more than thousands of dollars just to lift that thing 5 inches from than ground…oh well,anyways that seems to be a good cardio work out …
w w w.officialworldrecord. com OFFICIAL WORLD RECORD
w w w.officialworldrecord. com OFFICIAL WORLD RECORD
fixed ratio seems kind of archaic…
fixed ratio seems kind of archaic…
hey at least it gets off the ground and stays off it
hey at least it gets off the ground and stays off it
wow that did not look safe for the guys in the middle
wow that did not look safe for the guys in the middle
Birds use the ground effect too. Are those birds that do this unable to fly too?
Birds use the ground effect too. Are those birds that do this unable to fly too?
“it doesn’t really fly, it uses ground effect”. in short, it really does fly. lift is lift.
“it doesn’t really fly, it uses ground effect”. in short, it really does fly. lift is lift.
“it doesn’t really fly, it uses ground effect”. in short, it really does fly. lift is lift.
Elaborate…
Elaborate…
Ground effect is real. But since this ship have HUGE wings (rotating wings), the ground effect will be felt up to a few meters, so they might achieve their goal!
Ground effect is real. But since this ship have HUGE wings (rotating wings), the ground effect will be felt up to a few meters, so they might achieve their goal!
Sorry, you read it wrong. I was replying to another comment, about the comparison with regular bicycles. Sitting bikes are “very inefficient in terms of aerodynamic and human energy use.”. The second part of my comment is about the “sitting position” used for this purpose, which looks very adequate!
Sorry, you read it wrong. I was replying to another comment, about the comparison with regular bicycles. Sitting bikes are “very inefficient in terms of aerodynamic and human energy use.”. The second part of my comment is about the “sitting position” used for this purpose, which looks very adequate!
You obviously have no clue what kind of engineering went into that thing. It is, in fact, the most aerodynamically and energy-use-wise human powered helicopter ever in existence. If they wanted to power it from about a dozen laptop batteries, it could stay aloft for an hour.
You obviously have no clue what kind of engineering went into that thing. It is, in fact, the most aerodynamically and energy-use-wise human powered helicopter ever in existence. If they wanted to power it from about a dozen laptop batteries, it could stay aloft for an hour.
it did fly, and it did beautifully. A “ground effect” is a feeling, an experience felt by humans, an effect, not an actually incident; you should probably read more about “ground effect”!
it did fly, and it did beautifully. A “ground effect” is a feeling, an experience felt by humans, an effect, not an actually incident; you should probably read more about “ground effect”!
Very inefficient in terms of aerodynamic and human energy use. What matters here is short term power, and obviously hands can boost a little the legs power…
Very inefficient in terms of aerodynamic and human energy use. What matters here is short term power, and obviously hands can boost a little the legs power…
Why the awkward, very inefficient sitting position? Normal bicycles are more efficient than sitting ones for a reason.
Why the awkward, very inefficient sitting position? Normal bicycles are more efficient than sitting ones for a reason.
Now get Coleman to pedal that shit and you can cross the Mississippi
Now get Coleman to pedal that shit and you can cross the Mississippi
Shouldn’t he be positioned more upright so he can get his body weight into that bitch?
Where is the Video of your Build then?
Where is the Video of your Build then?
Where is the Video of your Build then?
That’s a pretty awesome creation!
That’s a pretty awesome creation!
its so easy that even a cave man could do it
That’s why the Sikorsky prize requires it to hover 9 meters high. There’s no practical use for this.
The people that troll these videos are the same people that say Curiosity is a waste of money.
The people that troll these videos are the same people that say Curiosity is a waste of money.
i levitate more time in the air after i fart…you call that flying ??
it is more efficient to walk
it is more efficient to walk
it woultn’t fly to any hight above 1 meter…air pressure above ground is bigger….if it would fly even 50cm higher, pressure would decrease….so that’s why it didn’t continue in rising up:…..the same with high speed pc fans….it would rise few milimeters above ground but that’s all…..ground effect
Who the fudge are the Dwights’ brothers?
Gliding isn’t flying then aswel right if your using the updraft of wind up a cliff to keep you in the air? Ground effect is an effect of low flight.
What flight????
Oxygen bottle?
Get tired and die
They should have positioned the hand crank lower. Circulation of blood is reduced in the current position (for that pilot) so the arms will tire very quicklly. I would also suggest a horizontal configuration using a pulley and such that a rowing action can be used .. But that may add to the complexity and weight.
Look, it’s flying… is it a bird? Is it a plane ?? No it’s the “make you extremely tired in 50 seconds and barely hover at 5 cm above the ground flying aparatus and a very tired cyclist”
ground effect only occurs when a WING is present
What’s up with all the hateful reactions? The Dwights’ brothers first plane didn’t last that long either. These students build the future! Thanks to inventions like this one here, we could be flying our own 1 person-helicopters. Give them some support folks!
Respect!
get chris hoy on that baby yooooiiiiissss !!!!!!!!!!
I jumped off my grandma’s house with a bed sheet when I was a kid & stayed up longer than that
Helicopters weigh several tons, the blades would have to shift more air to compensate for that XD
When did it take off?
he looks tired at the end))))
so fuking what
If you have not considered it or tried it you might. All it would take is to have a custom wheel made for the one without cranks on it. I have two reasons to believe this would help. 1 it will help sustain rpm and 2 it will keep the rider from having choppy pedal strokes giving a pulse like response to the machine. Think about it try it.
Wow.. Talk about a work out. Wonder if the pilot enjoyed the flight.. Nice work
…
Hmmm… this is nothing new, in fact, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble flew a much simpler and more affective peddle powered copter back in the stone ages for a very long time as I recall.
use two rotors above instead
Blade propulsion, the least energy efficient method of flight.Balloons are efficient in terms of energy (buoyancy lift), but waste space in terms of square footage.Jets are fastest, but burn fuel at rates far exceeding blade propulsion.A flywheel powering a generator/battery combo would yield stable temporary energy if powering buoyancy liftoff sources plus blade propulsion for lateral movement.”Powered Parachute” flight is highest in efficiency, but can fail fatally in cross winds.
I think this is fake because the blades are not even moving fast.Do you ever see a helicopers blades moving this slow and it hovering.
thats fucking stupid. stupid white man.
Chuck Norris would jump up, kick at the Earth to get it spinning and stop where he wanted to land, after the Earth spun around the number of times that he decided was enough.
Maybe if that guy took his glasses off, they could get a few more seconds
@darlinvincible so did the wright flyer
What a waste of a perfectly good basketball court
true, it’s more like a hovercraft than a helicopter
finally it proved it was possible but in so critical conditions . Nice realisation.
If he needs to supply 1hp to keep the rotors at speed, it remains 1hp whether he has a 10lb or 1000lb flywheel. The rotors are enormous flywheels and any additional flywheel would only add weight and transmission losses. If you mean powering up the flywheel on the ground then releasing the power at a greater-than-human rate, that would work better but probably breaks the human-powered rule.
it’s doesn’t really fly, it uses ground effect…
If, as I expect, this is in large part a course study project, I applaud those who dreamed up this endeavour as the student target. Being highly innovative – though of course by iteration of existing technology as are all inventions to some degree – it both educates the team and advances the state of the art. These students are learning how to be more innovative engineers, those on whom the whole world depends for our great modern way of life.
Leonardo Da Vinci would be proud of that
You need a weighted flywheel to hold the revs and have a freewheeling crank set.
Derision4u, make it, dont just talking about it. The prize is 250000$, so it is worth it.
well that thing could mow a football field pretty quick
Great job Team Gamera. Someone noted that arms and legs are only good for about 500 watts. I have produced over 800 watts and I’m not at peak fitness. What you see here is basically a skirtless hovercraft. Three meters will take energy storage in the rotor mass then release it with increased angle of attack. There will be flight duration or height records but not both at the same time. Again great job Team Gamera.
Transportation would be invented by then
That’s right! And they will charge you extra for the privilege.
Yeah college park! I bet if they had one of those Jimmy John’s delivery drivers on there!
Good work though!
a few seconds
Further, it is impossible to predict the ways in which this kind of thing can ultimately benefit mankind, unless you are God. Many human achievements and new technologies (even those thought to be purely academic) benefited mankind in ways that remained unidentified until long after the achievement.
They are benefiting mankind merely by pursuing something peaceful and not participating in the kind of sports and entertainment that are indeed currently destroying mankind. They are generating interest in something that is noble and non-violent. They are working as a team to ignite the imagination of millions of people with their pursuit of the Sikorsky Prize.
God forbid that those talented people direct their efforts to an endeavor that would actually benefit man kind.
As an avid cyclist, the ergonomics of any pedal-driven device can make a huge difference in output efficiency. With some tweaks I think U of M team can easily get to the 60 second mark. Congrats on the great show!
Ok so this helicopter is 1hp (human power) right?
) tell me again when you build the 1000hp one 
A women could have lasted longer than 50 secs .. >:)
and the wrong weight, he would be too heavy and it would get altitude. Look at the guys build in the video and how high he got at that body weight.
Damn, that was high.
The future terrorists will not pedal.
OMG!
It is comparing appels and oranges, but i give you credit of some sort as someone else comented like; just put a engine in it.
Yes it is a ” scientific breakthrough” but it is no Gossamer Condor, albeit a step in the right direction.
Get a guy that does rowwing to do that… They have monster legs
ALIENS!
Yes thanks for the info Ive seen it a while ago it is amazing achievement; as for this machine and timing I rather think it’s too overrated. Description ” flew for 50 seconds! ” Have a good day.
The human powered aircraft “Gossamer Albatros”; flew the English Channel (22.2 miles) on the 12th June 1979, taking 2 hours 49 minutes.
ht tp:// tiny url.com /884 hx6b
he starts at 0:27
How wonderful !! As science wil come up with even lichter and stronger materials; the sky wil no longer be the limit!! And as all trolls that only can come up with negative dribble on all these videos of marvalous scientific breakthrougs will hopfully kill themselfs soon (the only positive thing they could do) The surviving good fibe will push science to even bigger milestones.
like a baws..
All methods of flight are based off an exchange of expending energy through drag in the prop blades and wings, but my method applies most of that energy into creating thrust/lift using special max angle of attack prop mechanisms, whereas all traditional methods waste the majority of motor energy by producing several times more rotational prop drag than forward thrust/lift. My method is literally using the drag force on the prop blades as direct mechanical leverage for lift/thrust.
JoyofSatan(dot)com CHRISTIANITY EXPOSED AS FALSE AT THIS LINK. SATAN PROVEN TO BE OUR REAL CREATOR GOD THROUGH GENETIC ENGINEERING. LEARN HOW TO CONTACT SATAN.
LOL true… this weakling dude… probably study and gaming all days…they probably picked him because he is the most prominent in the group. 50 seconds record for human flight, wow that’s pathetic..
Sounds incredible.
My research has gone beyond anything I’ve seen or ever heard of online. I’ve figured out that a prop system involving a 90 degree angle of attack in a linear motion with two plate-shaped props can have an 80% efficiency of motor HP input to /liftthrust HP output. Flying VTOL cars, perfect VTOL jetpacks, you name it- would all be possible and practical with this new method of flight.If I could build a prototype of a human-powered version of this it would only weigh 20 lbs and win the Sikorsky.
and the purpose served by this wonderful invention is…. oh…. nevermind…
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need alot of work
Thank you for what I’m sure was a very well-researched and informed comment. I look forward to seeing your opinions and research in future aerospace publications.
But will it blend… Wait. Yes! Yes it will
It would go higher but unless you strap a motor to that thing, it’s not going to go 200 ft.
this thing flies more like a hovercraft than a helicopter… hover in ground effect is nothing compared to actual hover.but great achievement nonetheless
more blades needed with tesla coil powered motor cheers
You are so full of shit, it hurts. First of all, it’s not strong enough- it’s already broken with minimal use; it’s a fragile piece of shit that’s not going to ever be practical for human-powered flight as otherwise it will be too heavy for that. Second- it is utterly USELESS for conventional aircraft, as it relies almost exclusively on an extreme ground effect and has no use for anything that needs to go more than two feet off the ground.
STFU, you uberdumbfuck. That was BEYOND stupid to post.
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Aside from being an awe-inspiring proof of concept, this project has numerous applications. To my knowledge, personal human-powered aircraft – the one you seem to find ridiculous – is not one of them.Creating a structure strong enough for flight but light enough for a human to power requires you to completely rethink how aircraft are designed. The know-how and techniques that made this flight possible are incredibly promising for improving the efficiency and strength of conventional aircraft.
Oh, the definition of a helicopter. How about the definition of the word “Practical”? The best designs are the simplest, but they are also ones that work and are practical. If you are going to have something controlled by “brain waves” which is a ridiculous idea, then you are going to need computers, and that means a parasitic generator for the electricity to run the generator or the added weight of solar panels, servo motors etc.. anyone can design something impractical and useless like this…
молодцы, британские учёные! новый прорыв!
“Jan Tleskac likes this”
Put some Gears on that thing.
I’ll bet you’ve never designed or built anything in your life. The definition of helicopter incorporates none of the things you claim it does. As far as I’m concerned, this is a helicopter. In the future, a control system for moving forward and turning by slowing 1 or 2 rotors based on something that uses brain waves can probably be implemented with very little weight cost. Someone like Lance Armstrong may be able to fly it for 10 minutes, which is enough to get across a gator infested moat.
Здорово!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
コレ見てて、人間が宙に浮く大変さがわかった
How is that a helicopter? I would call it a hovering platform at best. Does nothing but go up and down. When someone builds one that can go up, the pilot can turn it and travel in any direction they choose, then you will have a helicopter. This thing does not even look like it would have any stability to stay upright or do anything in a breeze but get torn apart.
Chuck Norris can suck the sweat off my dick.
Ridículo! O cara quase teve um quase cardíaco de tanto pedalar só pra sair levemente do chão. rs…
With the right fuel, you can always do what you want…Neil Armstrong could have written this quote.
Flintstones, Meet the Flintstones They’re a modern stone age family ♫
he totaly should’ve used contact pedals
good work
Check Norris would fly that to the Moon!
нихуеваяхуевина
Chuck Norris would have flown that thing around the Earth a few times.
I would give ANYTHING to be in that driver’s seat.
An upright cyclist can shift his bodyweight from pedal to pedal thus working with gravity to drive the pedals–especially in sprints and climbs while standing (not seated). A recumbant cyclist relies solely on power derived through muscular contraction. The hand pedals are not going to help either since the limiting factor is the work capacity of the cyclist. The extra set of gears and pedals just add weight.
next step: la manche
In the future airliners will ask passengers to pedal for them, they are the new efficient and green air crafts of the 22nd Century.
Do you honestly expect these same people to have ever even heard the word derision, let alone understand its meaning? I agree with you btw, but you probably figured that out by now
Cheers mate.
The only reason it’s flying at all is ground effect, which provides stabilization and extra lift.
How a professional biker sits is limited by the equipment he has to use, for example recumbent bicycles are illegal, and by the fact that professional cyclists cannot use their arms to power their vehicles.
position is not efficient. look how professional bikers sits.
look up a blog called dot physics he looks at this. wired.com/wiredscience/2012/06/how-hard-is-the-human-powered-helicopter/
lmao so true
Lance Armstrong would have lasted an hour.
Я думаю @suzrik продержался бы дольше =)
Not a brotha in sight. Lol!
Мечтать! Летать! И думать о прекрасном! Во сне касаться звезд и облаков! И верить в то, что это не напрасно, что в жизни нашей будет любовь! Надеяться на Чудо, верить в Сказку! Любить друг друга, и тепло дарить! И жить по настоящему, без маски. Смеяться. Плакать. И судьбу творить! Дарить друг другу радость и улыбку. От счастья плакать, от любви пылать! И не бояться совершать ошибку. Весь опыт жизни в мудрость превращать!
You have to start somewhere and all advanced technologies start with simple tests that don’t seem significant on their own. But in the totality of everything, down the road this might be the catalyst of something great
So what’s the point of all that? No controls at all, just brute power. Well there is one good point actually it’s a good exercise highly recommend to all the americans, most of whom won’t last even 10 seconds -)
Umm, why did it stall?
lol get someone in there that actually has strong legs and arms
the blades are spinning so slow. how is it possible that it gets any lift? i call bullshit
smoke you under the table and still be able to beat you mentally, physically, or spiritually. Silly cluck. You’re a jive-ass turkey and nothing more! REMEMBER my boast. I’ll smoke more weed than you could carry on your back and then proceed to defeat you in any and or all of the realms of the mental, physical or the spiritual. REMEMBER this day, when I clearly pointed out your jive, your anal, and your turkey like tendencies you jive-ass turkey. REMEMBER!
you are such a primitive tool.
The driver deserved for a medal!
Assuming your better, smarter, more advanced then the next one kind of makes you worst then all others.
I’d ask a triathlete to “bike” because they are powerful from the upper and lower buddy. That’s very impressive.
Surely if the foot pedals are further, it would be use less strength? Like a bicycle?
uhm…. go naked. d’uh!!
Superb!
Toward the advancement of aeronautical engineering. I’m no engineer, but I do understand that learning to build lighter aircraft (or helicopters, in this case) that require less energy to power will ultimately lead to more efficient aircrafts — less fuel, pollution and dollars. The vehicle in the video is just a stepping stone in the process. It’s not expected to be practical.These kids and others like them are the best hope of American ingenuity. They should be applauded, not ridiculed.
Towards what?
They should make a bigger one and have like 20 people peddling at once
Sadly, the IQ and maturity level of the typical YouTube commenter is extremely low.This is an extraordinary breakthrough.
That guy needs some gears
…implying they aren’t TRUE. Tell us then, how it could ever get past even two feet off the ground, that which it requires such close proximity to in order to work well at all? Hmmm?
these comments are ridiculous.i find them juvenile observations meant solely for derision ..like a bully at the clay table in kindergarten… .
of course not! People with your mental capacity will be part of the zombies horde before the end of the first day of the outbreak…
Meh. This really can’t be called a helicopter. More like a hovercraft. The ground is what keeps it up. Go a few feet higher and it’s worthless.
This was billed as amazing. It isn’t.
He needs goggles, a victorian coat, and steam pumping out of the device in arbitrary places.
no thanks, i’ll just take a cab
That’s not a helicopter, that’s a ground effect vehicle. It would never get more than a few feet off the ground on that power, once you got above ground effect.
Is a hovercraft boat flying?
Someone needs to teach these folks about ground effect. It’s off the ground, but not really flying. Well I guess in a way it is, but in a way so is jumping and throwing a ball.
*Adjusts glasses* According to my calculations…power density required: w = sqrt((g^3 *M) / (rho*A)) [W/kg]M = total system mass [kg]g = gravitational constant [9.81 m/s2]rho = air density [1.20 kg/m3]So assuming you can create a craft large enough with limited human power density, it should be totally possible. Just about getting it to a size where specific lift energy is low enough…
I wouldn’t use it to get away from zombies
1-2 Rotor = Hard to balance below, no ground effect3 Rotor = Unbalanced torque
i bet it wont stand a weak breae though
they definitively need to work on their gear ratios….
Too bad the heroine pilot had to go to reach this time.
this reminds me of kiki’s delivery service…
I was expecting it to be a bit smaller… make this electric, give it a nice pod to protect you and make it waterproof and we have water walkers
My guess is that the craft was designed to take advantage of the ground effect, as others have mentioned. So a tri or quad rotor configuration was the only way to get the blades close enough to the ground to do this. A single blade sitting atop the cockpit wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the ground effect. The idea here is just to get the craft off the ground. Some other configuration will be needed for the height record.
Dear Santa……
Good example of a rotating wings in ground effect. ANY chance at it being able to get to 3 meters to get the prize? There was a human powered plane that flew helped by the ground effect before the gossamer albatross. It couldn’t make the hop to 3 meters to get the prize.Good luck tho om the 3 meter hop, and staying in the 20 meter square.
What’s the advantage of using 4 rotors?
what are renovable energies?
It would have been better if it had gears.
See if Graeme Obree is free to stop off when he is in America later on this year, he could destroy that record!
Nice work guys!
^^ You prefer gasoline than renovable energies?
However I think ground effect plays a big part here, helps get it off the ground, but then not much higher. That will be the next challenge: More height and directional control.Great work so far though
para com isso, de que material isso é feito? papel? porque precisa ser incrivelmente leve para ele conseguir voar, com apenas essa velocidade das elices.
This is so cool!
Or with gasoline. Genius.
Nice! can’t wait to see more!
Would a different seating position be better? Maybe face down, kinda like on a sports bike…
Big Shit. That machine would be better with solar painels.
For me it’s a great machine to work out.