Forget About Flying Cars and Hoverboards! Japan’s One-Man Electric Helicopter Is The Future

If Marty McFly really traveled to 2015, I suspect he’d probably be disappointed that we still don’t have flying cars or hoverboards. But hey, I’m guessing he will be impressed that something like this is already in development.

Meet Hirobo’s BIT – an innovative electric helicopter designed for a single user.

First displayed last year at the Japan Aerospace show, this sweet ride is originally intended to hit the market by 2020. If things go as planned though, it might be available next year.

The Hirobo BIT is a personal electric helicopter expected to hit the market in 2016.

Online reports vary regarding the price of this cool personal helicopter but Takahiro Koboyashi, Overseas Group Sales Manager of Hirobo, has been quoted saying each unit would be sold around US $240,000.

Of course, the Hirobo company has always been known in the industry as a manufacturer of unmanned electric helicopter. This time, they are putting their expertise to crafting this amazing one-person electric helicopter.

Just like videogames, this one-person electric helicopter is driven using joysticks.

Details are scarce as of the moment but so far, we’ve discovered that the Hirobo BIT has 2 counter-rotating rotors and is controlled with a joystick – not unlike playing a videogame. It’s also been said that it will have a maximum speed of 60mph (97 kph) for a 30-minute range.

See the Hirobo BIT upclose in this video:

We hope the company would upload test flight videos soon so we can see this cool chopper in action.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled for further developments!

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H/T: Gizmag, HeliOps Magazine, Technologic Vehicle