human powered helicopter gord elliston wood carved gears cartoon

[idontWanaChannel]

Would it help if you built another set of pedals where your arms are to control the top blades, and keep the leg pedals for your bottom blades? So you can pedal with your arms and legs at the same time. Would that create more lift potential? You would probably get tired alot quicker though lol

[SychWardEscapes]

I have dreamed of doing this on many occasion, and honestly I believe it is possible. If the frame is light enough and the engineering is correct it should be possible. I believe you are close, but still need a few adjustments. A more advanced gearing system could help, It needs to be similar to an automatic transmission but extremely light weight and efficient. Of course, the entire system needs to be extremely efficient.

[SychWardEscapes]

You want as few friction points as possible, and the ones that are necessary need to be as light weight as its specific function will allow. For example, the bearings for the pedals shouldn't need to be nearly as robust as the ones for the propeller, especially if you have a no return force system in place on the propeller drive. With no back force through the system from the propellers all the bearings in system could be just strong enough to contain the force generated by the pedals.

[samoht1977]

C64 "Mancopter", anyone?

[imagine45]

My design looks very close to yours, but using also arm musle---

Human powered ornithoper / Helicopter concept

[winterka100]

Obviously the rotor needs to spin fast enough to create the required lift, but also fast enough to create enough centrifugal force on the blades to stop them from bending to destruction.One of the main problems with human power is that the rotor blades need to be built as strong as airplane wings because of this lack of speed. More weight, more drag, more carbon fiber. It won;t happen.

[1crazyfocker]

nice build but the title is misleading, as you did not take off. it more of an attemp then a flight....but good build. I have my own design i was woring on, but had to put off for deployments, but i have an unfair advantage....i am a heleicopter mech and crew chief.....so good luck on your next build

[bastian74]

A university recently "hovered" a human powered helicopter about 2" off the ground for a few seconds... they had one sexy pilot too...

[aaaarrrgggghh]

maybe having one blade would be less weight and faster speed

[TimKGrimes]

Nice job! Looks like you're almost there! Try either longer or wider blades; not both. You've got to keep your Nr high enough. Good luck! Fantastic work!

[jscott1000]

This would work on Saturn's moon of Titan which has an atmosphere twice as thick and 14% the gravity of Earth

[oseano10]

But, a helicopter is suppose to... I don't know... to flight?

Funny video, anyway. Thank you.

[roro879]

I would try a setup,where you pedal for a certain amount of time,and the energy is stored,then as you flip your rotors down,you release the stored energy,creating enough pwer for lift,but Ive seen a hundred or more of these attempts,and none have ever been successfull. I seriously doubt anyone will ever have enough pedal power to spin a copter up off the ground.

[TimpBizkit]

Optimal power is not produced at the leisurely rate of 30 rpm pedalling. It is produced at 100 rpm or so. If it's too hard to pedal at that speed you would need to change the sprocket sizes.

[TimpBizkit]

I've yet to see one of these properly take off, you could get some additional hand cranks and Alberto Contador. That gear ratio also looks a little high (unless the occupants were just lazing along on it)

[bobbylockes]

is there something inherently wrong with forcing a pedal downwards ie towards the earth to generate enough thrust (or whatever) to leave earth? the downward force would have to be really minimal no? what if the pedalling was done lying down, there would be less downward force thus less upward thrust required? or have I lost the plot completely? I'm thinking of the physics behind the fact that a container of birds that are flying inside weighs the same as the container with the birds perched.

[thomasuras]

man you took time and money to build this u should have at least hired a crane for a good utube video

[Derelictos]

you'd be better off generator cycling in your home for a week and storing the energy in lipo batteries for electric motor power. All while burning the calories you'll need to loose to be light-weight enough to take flight.

[KingsWorld2010]

You stupid twat, that ain't never gonna go up. Dumbo.

[TroyOi]

Has anyone anywhere actually done the math to determine whether a human-powered helicopter is even theoretically possible? (Given such factors as the torque that an very athletic pilot is capable of producing, the minimum possible weight of such a craft [including pilot], etc.)

[Yefatbastard]

@TroyOi Yes they have.. Japan.. the result was the YURI-I you can find it here on youtube.

[TroyOi]

@Yefatbastard Wow, thanks, man, that was beautiful! If the poor saps in this video had ever seen Naito's craft first, and all the years of work and real brainpower that went into it, they would've known better than to waste their time even trying. Naito set the record in 1994, but I see that others are trying to break it now, now that Sikorsky's offering a $250,000 prize. I'm gonna enjoy following this.

[JoaoJMatias]

you just need some steroids mate, you'll get to the moon! :D

[cdoftx]

How much lift are you getting? You should rig up a couple of scales to see how much your weight decreases.

[Sidowse]

LOL. I am sure you have had 100s of people telling you what you should do, but...

I think you should have just TWO blades in each rotor. The more blades you have the less efficient the system is (adjacent blades "Cutting" the same air that the previous blade has already passed through). The counter rotating rotors are the way to go

How did you calculate the rotor lengths? If you search for "human helicopter" by fusionMan3 you will find a system similar to yours but powered by a small engine.

[9piecewood]

cant you pettal any harder!?

[9piecewood]

cant u pettel any harder?!

[Yefatbastard]

Nice looking machine.. Uhhh.. What type of controls are you using? Weight shifting? I like the other posters idea for the use of assisted lift helium balloons.. several small weather balloons on a swivel just to help with lift. (and a long tether) Would add to flight times too.. Human powered flight will never be practical.. It will always be too light to fly anywhere but indoors.. (read at the mercy of the wind) But... should still be tried just for the knowledge gained by trying..

[lightningwatcher]

Thrust is similar to momentum transfer.

Power is similar to kinetic energy transfer.

You have a fixed amount of power.

How much thrust you have depend on if you are doing a little to a lot of mass (standing up on the earth) or doing a lot to a small amount of mass (treading water in a pool of water that moves away when you push it.

Design and learn as much as you can before you spend money on building it.

[lightningwatcher]

Even with all the flaws in his design, his design is better than any other amature design I've seen because he succeeded in getting his blades to create enough lift to bow upwards. And it looks like his weight is balanced under the hubs. And he got them to contra-rotate. Great test of his mechanisms, but now he has to make the span much bigger and the blades thicker.

[humnpwr]

@lightningwatcher 

[humnpwr]

@lightningwatcher

thanks for comment, i think i will try bigger blades!

[lightningwatcher]

@humnpwr Thust = Force = Mass (pilot and helo) x acceleration (9.8 m/s2)

Thrust = mass flow rate of air through disc x velocity of air (momentum transfer per second).

Power = Thrust x velocity of air

If you double the radius of the disc, your minimum needed power is cut in half.

If you double the weight of helo plus pilot, your minimum power needed goes up by the 1.5 power.

The density of air is at best 1.2 kg per m3.

The pilot has 500 or so Watts to play with, they say.

[Sidowse]

@lightningwatcher You have no idea what you are talking about!

"If you double the radius of the disc, your minimum needed power is cut in half." This statement is wrong in so many ways!

Area of a disc of zero thickness =Pi*r^2. so the if you double r, the area increases by 4! However, V = r*omega. More lift is generated at the rotor tip. The longer the rotor the more drag.... I have just scratched the surface.

[lightningwatcher]

@humnpwr You can figure out the math later. But I'll tell you now that you won't even leave the ground if your diameter is less than 50 feet. Staying above the ground: 66 feet. Actually flying: 100-200 feet, depending on several factors.

The blades will have to be much bigger to hold spars that are much thicker. You will have to read about truss design, bending moments, materials, propellers, and much more, probably for a year.

[truthisouttheir]

@humnpwr i think maybe if the blades were stiffer and didn't bow upwards that would help. what are ur blades made of?

also why do they spin in opposite direction and why two sets of blade rather than one or more than two?

[freeriding666]

@lightningwatcher Nice effort chaps! But that thing is impracticable... since it relies solely on manpower. i'd recommend you to look into the flying bicycle (delta wing + bike), which has a lot of potential if done correctly.

[zestyguy87]

give it up, human powered heli's just wont fly.

[lightningwatcher]

@zestyguy87 Google "Yuri Helicopter". Not really flying, but you can improve on that.

[gm0ss]

if scientists and engineers cant make it work how can some guy build it in his backyad

[qp12qp]

@gm0ss

Scientists and engineers are NOT trying to make it work, they have been brain-washed from education that only birds and machines can fly!

They've also been trained a lot to calculate and make slight variations and copies of the current technology only!

[lightningwatcher]

@qp12qp Correct: I've seen it a 1000 times. Very few think outside the box. They just use what they assume should be used based on what has been used before.

[humnpwr]

@gm0ss

i didn't build it in my back yard, i built it in CINESPACE MOVIE STUIOS in Toronto,

thanks for the comment though, you spelled backyard wrong!!!!

[Yefatbastard]

@humnpwr

He spelled it right if he's from Brooklyn... >snicker<

[humnpwr]

@Yefatbastard

that's funny!

[chas1996]

@gm0ss Because some people are more skilled engineers than scientists, and yet don't need to be scientists.

[n0morehate]

@gm0ss

wasnt the apple computer built in a garage ???

[Yefatbastard]

@n0morehate

yes it was.

[n0morehate]

@Yefatbastard

sorry that was rhetorical.. i was trying to make a point

[1980PintoMan]

@gm0ss Have you ever heard of the Wright brothers?

[CurtisHalfHalf]

@gm0ss You cant be that stupid..can you?

[Kounglou]

@gm0ss

becouse the institutionalized schools for engineering usually don't allow thing to much out of the box.

Wrightborther were bycicle repair men, not engineers, somehow though they flew first... enough said i think;)

[freecash4udotws]

I'll bet it is great to get rid of mosquitoes at the yard party ! I am all for cheating and using some form of assist to lift because the worlds strongest man is still woefully shy of the power needed to vertically lift off. I'll guess a few hundred cubic centimeters of high output internal combustion piston engine would be needed to become airborne. Besides who want to be working that hard while piloting your craft , sky time is always too short anyways.

[humnpwr]

@freecash4udotws

hi

there are only ground effect machines that have got up, no helicopters have flown out of ground effect.

the contest is to fly out of ground effect to a height of about 10 feet

you are correct to say that it is impossible at present for anyone to accomplish this, but i like trying.

thanks for comment

[ornelaswa]

For you the human powered helicopter, I can say. Add, maybe you think is cheating, but will work, 2 or 3 ballons of helium to lower the weight and such do well, some may said is cheating, but even porche did it with the 928, they put aluminum part to reach the 50/50 on it. Keep going one day all will say…. Thank you

[humnpwr]

@ornelaswa

I like that idea.

ps like your channel!

[ornelaswa]

That is mean, anyone who try, such be more consider, try yourself!! People, who try to make many things for money or us, are there, almost all we have, is because someone try it and do it, you probably never did anything, but there is this person, who try and expend his time and money to try, try that!! Make a better world for all.

[boomtao]

Unbelievable that some people are so gullible and naïve to think they will actually take off!

[MaxGamble2]

Try fixing a petrol engine - just for fun! :-P

[RetroRoadshow]

watch?v=BAD_e-tGpoM&feature=re­lated

check that out. The guy is using a more efficient method than pedaling akin to a leg press.... might help you toward your 350 rpm goal.

[humnpwr]

@RetroRoadshow

Yes it was an interesting concept.

[MrYoungcoins]

did you even make it off the ground

[humnpwr]

@MrYoungcoins

No I didn"t lift off, but I'll keep trying

[thepaperlantern]

It's actually a rather beautiful machine - did you have any ideas about control if you had achieved lift? Also, would non-circular gearing provide the necessary extra rotation speed?

[Downfacingdog]

A true pioneer! Thanks for proving one of the many of the steps.

[poweressen]

perhaps a sun steam powered aircraft would work if you also assist with your legs you could add more speed

[aboctok]

The dumbasses always come out of the woodwork with the brainless criticism about building a larger-sized prototype that isn't expected to fly. It's a normal part of the process, which in itself is not a short one. The truly stupid plan would be to go from a scale prototype—which by the sound of it, the morons wouldn't bother to build either—to a full sized, manned, flying design. THAT would be a recipe for disaster. So pay no attention to the knockers who don't know anything.

[taekwondohustle]

nice concept, i would say more surface area for the rotor blades. 250k

[psyhorse]

tons of work for nothing

[humnpwr]

thanks for comment

yes it was lots of work, but not for nothing, people around the globe trying to accomplish vertical human powered flight, some have hovered but to get out of ground effect is the problem

[psyhorse]

think about it you need 100kg trust to get airborne and for 100 k trust you need at least 40 hp and you have 0,1

[qp12qp]

@psyhorse

This is a very narrow-minded way of thinking and of course an incorrect statement. Since human-powered airplanes have succeeded flying long distance, a vertical lift is also 100% possible and for a long duration. What is not possible, is innovating without thinking out of the box.

[freecash4udotws]

Projects like Gossamer Wings only proved a sail plane could use human assistance to travel a number of miles under an optimal environment that generated a majority of the lift the aircraft floated on. Vertical take off on human power is impossible as we are far too weak. Even at our absolute maximum we are at only a fractional percentage of the needed power just to lift our own mass never mind the vehicle weight. I would love to see any video of human powered vertical lift aircraft flying.

[qp12qp]

@freecash4udotws

If you can lift your weight + the vehicle's with only your own power by running the wings in almost a straight line, you can also achieve this in a circular manner if you adapt the design properly.

BTW, the last record was the project Daedalus who flew in Greece in 23 April 1988 between two islands Crete and Santorini and broke two world records for human-powered flight: the distance traveled was 72.44 miles, and the time aloft was 3 hours, 54 minutes, and 59 seconds.

[freecash4udotws]

@qp12qp Even Olympic cyclist Kanellos Kanellopoulos the world record holder pilot of Daedalus88 could not achieve vertical lift off. Daedalus88 was flown in a light tail wind in the early morning with a brilliant cloudless sun rising over a dead calm sea. These conditions effectively allowed the pilot to utilize ground effects and thermal lift in his human powered sail plane to achieve the long standing record. Subsequent vertical lift attempts are measured in inches of height for seconds.

[qp12qp]

@freecash4udotws

So you think no more progress will be made in human powered helicopters and airplanes. You think that what has been achieved so far is the top notch of technology & aerodynamic design and no significant innovations are going to follow that will make a HP airplane to fly above the ground effect and a HP helicopter to lift at a height of 10 feet or more off the ground -ever!

In contrary, I think it's impossible to have NO progress and the only limit is our imagination.

[freecash4udotws]

@qp12qp Sorry it's not me but physical laws that prohibit vertical lift by human power. Typically, helicopter rotor systems provide a lifting capability of up to 15 pounds per horsepower. The pilot might sustainably produce 1/4 of a horsepower to try to lift a total weight in the range of easily 250 pounds. Basically our inventor or any other human falls shy by only producing about a fiftieth of nominal thrust needed. Engineering and the human condition can never be made to bridge that gap.

[qp12qp]

@freecash4udotws

1. A human fails shy if he tries to rotate blades invented for engine powered helicopters -a technology ages old. Even lighter ones (like on Yuri-1) are actually the same old technology (the reason they failed).

2. I'm not an expert, but it is known that aerodynamic formulas are too limited and even inadequate to be used for calculation of air-foils that differ a lot from the standard old-fashioned type and especially if the foll is running at very low speeds.

[qp12qp]

@freecash4udotws

3. That old foil technology remains in use today because it is simple and it works (for engine powered vehicles) and because -as usual, one person is inventing and one million is copying (the norm of our civilization).

Not enough inventors are born, nor there are enough motives to make the semi-talented ones at the right positions to invest on human-powered helicopters since everything is profit-driven and there seems to be little commercial interest -if any.

[qp12qp]

@freecash4udotws

4. In aerodynamics it is also known, that the longer the propeller or the wing, the higher its efficiency. This fact alone, makes limits like "15 pounds per hosre-power" sound totally false and it is more than certain, we have much more similar facts to discover and therefore many more airfoil types and ways of flying.

[freecash4udotws]

@qp12qp

Helicopters are too inefficient and sail craft technology is too bulky and prone to collapse also they both have huge control issues in slight environmental changes if marginally powered.

My estimates fit the most hopeful of results for the engineer of this fine work. This project lacks an essential power to fly by this design. The day the bicycle's efficiencies are surpassed by any human powered aircraft is actually much less likely than bio-engineering wings into the human genome.

[qp12qp]

@freecash4udotws

You're right on your description about the limitations of *present* designs and achievements that are 95% based on one century old technology.

But after advancing that technology ahead, I estimate that it would be possible to go higher than the 10 feet goal and fly for 1-3 minutes, a comparable effort with a high intensity sport -no, it won't be like a walk in the park with ..a bicycle!

[qp12qp]

@freecash4udotws

But technology won't stop as too mamy people believe(!), so it would be more realistic to predict that at some point, long duration flights will be possible.

The 10 feet goal, might be surpassed sooner than you think!

[qp12qp]

@freecash4udotws

correction: I mean sooner as *some* people think....

You don't believe in flying at all.

[cowboy51563]

@humnpwr

I would love to see this type of craft perfected. I was wondering if you know, has anyone tried a leg powered hydrolic system? I've had this idea floating around for a long time but have no means of developing it. A regular hydrolic jack can lift a car, imagine if in the right configuration how much torque you could get on a gear system! Wouldn't that overcome ground effect?

[RuiModesto]

I am sure you could have some lift if, loose 100 pounds or try again with a very light pilot

[mooseoftoose]

Um why would you waste your time making this if it cant even lift off the ground? Its like building a boat with holes in it. Pointless

[m1leswilliams]

You don't know it won't lift off the ground till you build it obviously.

[mooseoftoose]

@m1leswilliams Well sure. But you CAN make a reasonable judgement on the speed of the rotor before you make it, with the gears youre choosing. Youll know it will be embarrassingly slow.

[cjellwood]

does it fly?

[saleall]

it depends on the driver pilot :D

[ricefarmer]

wtf what a waste of time, at least have it lift offf fuckers

[kooyhma]

fuck

[OpenMindedSal]

what are the propellers made out of? and did you make them your self?

[norris432]

try 2 rotors on top and bottom it will increase the rotor speed. tilting your rotors at the right angle your human powered helicopter will fly. try it, it will work..........

[leviterande]

nice try, not bad but forget about coaxials, think about huge blades instead. i am planing to have 7meter rotor with a 65hp engine and counter torque stators and rotor guard and i want to fly only for fun and close to ground

[paulie1982]

Nice machine.

What gear ratio do you have between the footpedal & the rotors? Have you ever considered sticking a normal bicycle gear system in so you can increase the rotor speed?

If i were you i'd stick a high torque electric motor & some batteries in and see if it flies.

Good work

[clamb147]

= / Nice try, but people just doesn't have enough power to move those massive rotors.

[humnpwr]

You are probably right. I can get them to turn at about 140 rpm, I need 350 rpm to get it airbourne

[ahmi94]

140 rpm ! it's not bad at all !

how long are your blades ?

how much is the weight your HPH ?

what is it made of , aluminium, steel ?

did you make some engineering calculation ?

thank you for your answers

[humnpwr]

blades are 8ft

weighs about 60lbs

frame is aluminium

wings styrofoam with alum spar, plastic nuts and bolts

main drive gear assembly is from a light wght bike chopped

counter rotating gear assembly wood and steal bearings

areo engineer calculated i wood need 350rpm

thanks for the interest

[Skoda130]

@ahmi94 That's because humans are just not strong enough, compared to their weight.

[StarryKid06]

I could have SWORN that way back in the day, Popular Mechanics or some magazine like that had an article about plane kits you could by that were pedal powered. Anyone know of this?

[Downfacingdog]

A true pioneer in the race for the Sikorsky cup!

[coraxdjay]

take some steroids and pedal harder!!!!! lol

[humnpwr]

boy! your not kidd'n

[snottspott]

this is the best pedal powered heli iv seen but now im thinking its impossible for human powered vertical lift

[Downfacingdog]

Very nice idea. Watch for the SS262fl in 2010. A Sikorsky challange winner for sure!!!

[norris432]

try 4 rotors not 6. if you used 4 mayde it will work

[humnpwr]

hello norris432

i have 4 on top and 4 on bottom

i have other wing profiles ready to try

when the snow melts, i will try the new wings

takes a lot of effort to turn the rotors

i have younger, stronger people waiting to give it a try

some day, someone will win the prize!

thank you for the interest in this project

humnpwr

[Downfacingdog]

Increased drag.

[firefriend102]

The was really neat.

[amazonhippie]

It didn't look like he lifted off the ground.

Does it have gears?