Technabob » aviation

Spherical Flying Machines: The Prisoner Isn’t Far Behind

Range — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:20:25 +0000

This unusual spherical flying machine was developed by the Japanese Ministry of Defense. It’s the first of its kind and is remote-controlled.

It can hover like a helicopter. It can fly forward at high speed using wings, which a helicopter can’t do. It’s got three gyros to help keep it stabilized, and can even roll around on the ground, and move itself about.

Since it’s round, it changes the way that a plane could/would behave, especially when it comes to attitude control. The round flying machine is made from commercially available parts and cost just $1,400 USD to make. It weighs 12.3oz and is 16.5 inches in diameter, and can reach speeds up to 37mph.

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It will be interesting to see what kind of aircrafts they’ll be able to make using this tech.

[via DigInfo.TV via Make:]

Solar Ship: Air Ships Taking To the Skies with the Power of the Sun

Range — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:00:43 +0000

I just love airships. I wish I could travel all over the world in an blimp. Sure, it would take longer than a 777, but it would be way more relaxing. I wish that there would be airships all over the place, kind of like in the TV show Fringe.

The Solar Ship is made by the Toronto-based company of the same name, and is wing-shaped airship that includes solar arrays on its roof. The balloons are still filled with helium, but can fly using only the power of the sun to extend flying time and conserve energy. While you might think this is just a concept, you’d be wrong as the vehicle pictured is actually a flying prototype called the Caracal.

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Since airships don’t require much room to land or take off, they are perfect for delivering medical and relief supplies to disaster zones, without the need for a runway. Running on solar power, the Caracal can carry about 330 pounds while on hybrid power, it can lift as much as 1,653 pounds of cargo. Top speed is about 37mph on solar power, or 75mph on hybrid power.

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[Toronto Star via DVice]

F-4 and B-52 Ejector Seat Office Chairs: Best Seats Ever

Technabob — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:15 +0000

These office chairs are crafted from old military aircraft ejector seats – and they are awesome.

The guys over at Motoart took this seat from an authentic Vietnam-era F-4 fighter jet, and turned it into a cushy, padded desk chair. The seat has been upgraded with a sturdy aluminum base, durable double-wheel casters and upholstered with clean new fabric. Plus, those armrest look like they could be a little uncomfortable.

Are you a bomber, not a fighter? Do you just need a little extra upper-back support? Then you might like this disproportionately tall B-52 ejector seat instead:

Of course, the big flaw in the design of these things is the fact that they’re meant to be desk chairs. Really, why would you need to eject yourself from your own workspace? I’d much rather have a pair of visitors’ chairs that I could use to eject annoying co-workers from my office. I could use that today – and yesterday – and tomorrow.

To check out the complete collection of these airplane office seating and other cool furniture crafted from antique aviation parts, fly on over to Motoart.

[via MadeMan]