新型单人飞行器有望成为未来空中飞车（在线收听）

新型单人飞行器有望成为未来空中飞车

Being able to fly around as simply as riding a bicycle has been a long-standing dream of many inventors. But the safety and stability of such vehicles was always a huge problem.

飞行器飞来飞去能够像骑自行车一样一直是许多发明家长期以来的梦想。但其中涉及的安全和稳定总是个大难题。

As relevant technologies,such as quadcopters and high-capacity batteries, have developed within the past decade,the dream of personal flying vehicles has moved closer to reality.

而在过去10年中一直研发的四轴飞行器和高容量电池等相关技术使得个人飞行器的梦想或将成为现实。

The British firm Malloy Aeronautics has demonstrated a prototype of its hoverbike that it says will be a truly personal flying platform.

英国马洛依航空公司已经展示了自己研发的一辆飞行摩托原型并且表示它将是真正的个人飞行平台。

“It's inexpensive,it can carry a decent load,it can get in and out of very small spaces very quickly, and it can be moved across continents very quickly because it can be folded and packed.” 

“它造价低廉,可以有适当载重,可以以非常快的速度进出很狭小的空间,而且因为它能够折叠和包装可以很快的跨洲。”

Malloy Aeronautics’marketing sales director Grant Stapleton said the safety was the primary concern, designers came up with an innovative idea of overlapping rotors,whose,so-called adducted propellers are turning in enclosed spaces.

马洛依航空公司市场销售总监格兰特·斯塔普雷顿表示安全问题是头等大事,设计师们构想出重叠旋翼的创新想法,它的名字是封闭空间的内转螺旋桨。

“With adducted rotors you immediately not only protect people and property if you were to bump into them, but if you ever were to bump into somebody or property,it's going to bring the aircraft out of the air.”

“如果你撞上人或物内转旋翼不仅使你能够立即保护人们和财产的安全,而且如果你真的撞上,我们的飞行摩托将会被带到空中。”

The company is doing extensive testing with a one-third scale model,and also with a full scale tethered prototype. Inventors say their Hoverbike will most likely be used first by the military,police and rescue squads.

这家公司正在用一辆三分之一尺寸的模型及一台全尺寸受限的原型机进行大量的测试。发明家们表示最有可能首先使用他们飞行摩托的是军队,警察及救援队伍。

Meanwhile, Martin Aircraft Company from New Zealand is already testing a full-scale prototype of its personal flying device called Jetpack that can fly for more than 30 minutes,up to 1,000 meters high,and reach speed of 74 kilometers per hour.

与此同时,新西兰的马丁航空公司已在对其名为Jetpack的个人飞行装置进行全尺寸原型机的测试，这种装置的飞行时间能超过30分钟,最高达1000米,而且速度能够达到每小时74公里。

Martin CEO, Peter Coker.

彼得·科克是马丁航空公司的首席执行官。

“This is built around safety from the start. Reliability is the most important element of it. We have safety built into the actual structure itself. Very similar to a Formula One racing car.”

“我们从一开始在制造的时候就考虑到了安全问题。可靠性是最为重要的因素。我们的实际结构本身已经考虑到安全要素。非常类似于F1赛车。”

Jetpack runs on a four-cylinder 200-horsepower gasoline engine producing two powerful jet streams. Coker said it also has a built-in parachute.

Jetpack的四缸200马力的汽油发动机能够产生两股强大的急气流。科克表示它也配有内置降落伞。

“It opens at very low altitude and actually saves both the aircraft and the pilot in an emergency."

“在达到非常低的高度时会自动打开并且实际上在紧急情况下会挽救飞机和飞行员。”

Coker said Jetpack will be ready for the market by the end of 2016,with a price of about 200,000.

科克表示Jetpack将在在2016年底投放市场,定价约为200000美元。