Department of Defense Develops Star Wars Hover Bike

The Speeder Bike or Hover Bike from Star Wars is becoming a reality for American soldiers, and could replace helicopters completely. The Department of Defense along with the Mallow Aeronautics (UK) have contracted an engineer who has started development on what was once thought to be just Star Wars fiction. They're dubbing it the “world's first flying motorcycle” (We can get a hover bike, but we're still having problems with the hover board...okay) the hover bike is cheaper and more efficient than the modern helicopter and soldiers can utilize the technology in search and rescue missions across the globe.

The on board sensors and an auto pilot feature allow the hover bike to act like a drone and can be piloted remotely

using a smart device. This all started as a Kickstarter project that wanted to create something cheaper, lighter, and smaller than a chopper. The functionality of the vehicle, which include transporting logistics, military troops, and supplies is what peaked the Department of Defense's interest. (Go figure)

The hover bike has the potential for more than just military use however. The idea is that one day the common man who was once stuck in gridlock traffic at five o'clock can now hover his way out of the jam on the commute from work. There are also other potential major motion picture applications from the implementation of this new technology. A director could hypothetically film a scene by using the hover bike as a drone that mans the camera, or take a seat and get the perfect shot through their viewfinder.

There are currently two prototypes that have been tested, but the military and public consumers will have to wait for another three to five years before being able to use the merchandise. The companies developing the hover bike are still working out the small issue of what types of power sources could work the most efficiently with the commodity.

It's almost fitting that thirty years after Doc Brown said, “Where we're going, we won't need...Roads” and now more and more hover technology is becoming a reality. The hover bike won't be sitting in your garage with your hover board any time soon though. Apparently the government is still working on the laws that regulate flying drones, but some day soon we will be able to get out hands on them. Just don't fly yourself like a storm trooper into a tree and accidentally reenact the speeder bike scene from The Empire Strikes Back .