Ever since the release of Star Wars in 1977 saw Luke Skywalker speeding across the sands of Tatooine, sci-fi fans have craved their own hover bike. Well, thanks to Swedish eVTOL company Jetson Labs, you finally can.
Joining the likes of flying cars and jet packs — which no one is buying — the concept of hover bikes is now joining the list of realised fictional tech. Let's just hope self-aware AI isn't next on the list. Right?
Jetson Labs Hover Bike
Revealed via a YouTube video, the Jetson One hover bike is the first commercial vehicle of its kind. Much like the real versions of “flying cars”, the bike isn't exactly the same as, say, Star Wars Speeder Bikes.
Instead of hovering through energy propulsion, the Jetson One is essentially a massive drone. Using four strong propellers, the drone-bike is capable of reaching massive speeds of 63 miles per hour. Furthermore, the vehicle can fly at heights of 1,500 feet.
However, Jetson Labs explained that the speed and height limits are software limitations for safety reasons. While the hardware can go faster and fly higher, it’s not exactly safe for the hardware to do so.
This is likely due to battery limitations. At the moment, the Jetson One can only fly for around 20 minutes. Jetson Labs is hoping to improve battery life as battery technology evolves — solid state batteries, anyone? — but early adopters will have to deal with short battery life.
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How much does a Jetson One cost?
Jetson Labs’ Jetson One hover bike costs just $92,000, a substantial amount of money but still less than expected. Additionally, anyone can purchase the machine, even without a pilot’s license. This is because the hardware is classed as an “ultra-light vehicle”.
Those who purchase the vehicle without prior experience will be asked to attend a two-day hover bike training course. The training course will be set in Tuscany, Italy; the journey shouldn't be too expensive for those buying a $92,000 vehicle.