What do you do when you have oozing creativity, lots of time, and the right amount of money? Possibly, go and create something unique. And, that’s exactly what the inventors of these amazing vehicles did.
Ranging from a hand-pedaled bicycle to a futuristic driverless car, there’s a variety of these amazing real-life vehicles that will leave you awestruck. Depending on which ones you focus on, they may seem like the stuff of sci-fi or something straight out of a young kid’s imagination.
Anyway, no matter how ingenious or erratic, all these vehicles are undoubtedly very fascinating. In the video below, we have compiled several clips of the most amazing vehicles in the world.
Amazing vehicles: Commercial rides, prototypes, and concept cars
Sure, these modes of transport look very exhilarating to use, but engineering them was a considerable challenge for their respective inventors. Here are some interesting tidbits about these amazing vehicles.
ArcaBoard
Probably, the closest we have come to bringing Aladin’s flying magical carpet to life is with ArcaBoard. It is a hovering slab-like platform that lets you travel over ground and even over water in style. Its chassis is built from aerospace-grade composite materials and houses 36 Electric Ducted Fans (EDF).
According to the creator ArcaSpace’s website, it weighs about 10kg and uses 203,000W of power. To make sure all this power doesn’t result in overheating, ArcaBoard also incorporates a powerful cooling mechanism. Impressively, the “power fans” constitute 90% of its body, which makes sure there are enough to keep you afloat in case a few of them malfunction.
Archaeopteryx hang glider
Even if you have seen hang gliders or sailplanes before, we bet you haven’t seen anything quite like the Archaeopteryx. It combines the best of both worlds into one versatile, light, and highly maneuverable vehicle.
There are multiple ways to take off with the Archaeopteryx. You can have yourself bungee-slingshotted into the air, use a towing vehicle to gain altitude, lift autonomously using an electric motor, or go the manual way of running down a slope.
Once in the air, you can control the hang glider using sailplane-like controls in the cockpit. Coming to the landing part, you can either do it using the vehicle’s wheels or manually with your legs.
Twicycle hand-cranked bike
Traditional bicycles, while still a good way to work out and cover distances, don’t really push anything except your lower body to the limit. The Twicycle exercises almost your entire body, thanks to the inclusion of a hand-cranked pedaling system.
You can ride this bicycle using the hand-cranked levers (controls the front wheel) or the pedals (rear wheel) or both. Twicycle also includes a chest barrier that prevents you from touching the handlebar gear during rides. With its dual gears, it allows you to go faster than a traditional bicycle and makes uphill cycling easier.
MegaDrone octocopter
Back in 2017, a video of pilot Mariah Cain riding a comically large drone went viral on the internet. This was the time when interest in the MegaDrone octocopter peaked.
As the name suggests, the drone uses 8 rotors to glide in the air. It uses electric motors, propellers, and a stabilization system to help the pilot maneuver swiftly.
DaSH PA
The DaSH PA or Dead Simple Human Powered Airplane is a basic aircraft completely powered by the pilot. It is a plane that is suitable for short low-altitude rides. Its developer Alec Proudfoot achieved this manual machine’s first flight in 2015.
Since then, several other pilots have successfully tested it. As of 2017, DaSH PA’s longest recorded flight lasted for about 5 minutes and 20 seconds, covering 1.92km.
Virgin Hyperloop
Among other entries on the list, Virgin Hyperloop is a particularly renowned project. It plans to revolutionize public transportation by introducing vacuum trains.
Hyperloop runs inside a near-vacuum tube using magnetic force and can touch the speed of 670mph or roughly 1078kmph. The firm’s vision is to transport passengers and cargo as fast as an airplane does but at a small percentage of its cost.
Excitingly enough, the first trial with human passengers took place in 2020 at a test facility located in Las Vegas, U.S. According to the company’s claims, the Virgin Hyperloop is expected to launch for everyone by 2030.
Waymo self-driving taxi
Waymo’s self-driving taxi is a mode of travel that is as futuristic as they come. It employs sophisticated sensors, radar, and laser technology to autonomously drive you around. Although the vehicle drives itself, passengers have access to a touch-based control panel from where they can instruct the car to pull over, call support, among other actions.
The cutting-edge taxi service is a venture of Alphabet Inc. and was born out of Google’s Self-Driving Car Project in 2016. Currently, it’s only available in select locations such as Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., where you can hail a driverless ride using the Waymo One app. Unfortunately, there is no formal plan yet for its widespread launch.
V5F+ electric unicycle
Everything about this little but impressive transport screams “walking is overrated.” The V5F+ electric unicycle is a self-balancing unicycle from Inmotion. It uses a motor that can help it go as fast as 15mph or 24kmph.
Additionally, it’s powered by an efficient battery that lasts for up to 20-25 miles or 32-40 km. As per the manufacturer, the vehicle is IP55 water-resistant and can carry passengers weighing under 180lbs or 81kgs.
Inmotion describes its unicycle as “lightweight” and “ultra-portable” on the product page. The V5F model costs $699 and is available across the U. S., minus Hawaii.
VISION AVTR
Coming from globally popular car company Mercedes-Benz, VISION AVTR is the epitome of a truly amazing vehicle that you can actually ride. It took inspiration from the smash-hit Hollywood flick Avatar for its eye-catching futuristic design. A special highlight is its four wheels that can each move independently. This allows the car to move side sideways to an extent.
VISION AVTR relies on electric motors and, hence, has virtually zero carbon footprint. Its engine packs a combined power equivalent to 350kW and has an electric range of 700kms. Another impressive thing about this ride is that it can go from zero to a hundred percent charge in less than 15 minutes.
Orbitwheels
Orbitwheels are a pair of skates-cum-wheels developed by famous inventor Shane Chen. Unlike others on this list, it doesn’t use any motor to run and works based on your body maneuvers, thanks to its wave-like propulsion system.
The product is aimed at adventure sports enthusiasts who are into similar hobbies such as skateboarding. Normally, it takes time for new users to learn how to use Orbitwheels well.
Jetman Dubai
Imagine how fast you’d fly if you had aircraft wings on your back. Jetman Dubai is the real-life application of this fantasy. It’s a brand that envisions a future where individuals can use its Jetwing to glide around the city. Jetman Dubai’s first human flight took place in 2015 and more have followed since then.
The Jetwing is an advanced jetpack that can touch speeds of 407 kmph. It’s also equipped with two cameras that can capture flight footage. However, this product isn’t commercially available yet and only three pilots, known as “Jetmen,” have tested it till now.
Tesla Autopilot
Tesla Autopilot is probably the most commercially available vehicle on this list. It’s an autonomous driving technology that comes with every new Tesla car. The avant-garde automobile feature makes use of 8 surround cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors to make self-driving possible.
As a Tesla passenger, you just need to select your destination and the car will drive you to it. Autopilot can even park the car by itself, without any human intervention. You can use the companion app to summon the car autonomously.
Biski amphibious motorcycle
If there’s any two-wheeler that truly deserves to be called “versatile,” it’s Biski. This hi-tech motorcycle runs on both land and water, making it perfect on unpredictable paths.
At 80mph (128kmph), it’s reasonably fast when riding on land. On the water, Biski can make its way with a splashing speed of 37mph or 59kmph. A 55hp petrol-consuming engine is the heart of this amazing vehicle.
Hoversurf quadcopter
Hoversurf’s quadcopter is what would happen if a motorcycle had kids with a drone. It’s a powerful prototype vehicle that uses 4 rotors to hover above the ground. The company behind it is involved in developing various forms of hovering vehicles. This particular quadcopter received great attention after making an appearance at CES 2019.
Finally, that wraps up the catalog of the most amazing vehicles you can travel in. While you’re interested in this topic, why not check out the list of the most extreme watercraft machines in the world.
