Friday, June 3, 2011

Gamera, the Human-powered Helicopter by Students of the University of Maryland

Forget cycling to work - how about a human-powered helicopter? Engineering students at the University of Maryland have successfully tested Gamera, a massive pedal-powered chopper.

Gamera has four 13-metre wide rotors, one at each end of its 18-metre wide cross-shaped carbon-fibre frame, but weighs less than 100kg - including the human pilot, Judy Wexler, who sits in the middle and provides power through both hand and foot peddling. Wexler successfully lifted off after two days of testing, managing to get several inches off the floor for about four seconds. "We're ecstatic," says Brandon Bush, Gamera team leader.

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