Added: 5 years ago
From: sumthinelse5790
Views: 103,744
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:

All Comments (198)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • This is amazing, truly fantastic work

  • bravo à vous tous.

  • loved this

  • This is great!!

  • Can you reply with a link to instructions for this? Take this seriously.

  • Very impressive. the position of the pilot seems kind of awkward with the feet so high, and the high center of gravity makes seem pretty unstable, but the design is sound. With a few tweaks I am sure you could get it to work quite well.

  • good work

  • I wonder if the fan was under the center of gravity if that would help? Or maybe it wouldn't have lifted as much??? Anyway, I'd put another fan on the back and ride this thing around town! Good work! I'm inspired to build one now!

  • Awesome engineering job guys. You are building stuff there that would put many people to shame twice your age. Fantastic effort. I agree with Battlefresh's comments below - having got it so far, just a few small changes would make a huge difference. It's almost there. Anyway, seeing as this video is now 4 years old, I guess it's a moot point...

  • nice hovercraft but ummm down in fl were makin one straight up powered by 2 engines a lift and thrust

  • That's cool as hell!

  • That was freaking AMAZING!!

  • Cool

    

  • Good job guys...really amazing stuff. I think just a few modifications could make it more efficient. Consider a pre-fabricated carbon fiber fan blade with no more than 1/16" clearance from a Hovercraft manufacturer. Switch to a single speed sprocket and eliminate any spring loaded tensioner...anything to reduce weight. Raise the gear ratio so your legs are moving slower and lower the center of gravity of the seating position with braces behind your shoulders so you have something to push against

  • Pretty Sweet! Great job, I like the fact you went with pedal power, much different. I guess if you wanted to you could also hook a motor up as well. Looks like fun!

  • @israelfreak Perhaps with greater accuracy and power, but having two chains probably wouldn't greatly increase the speed.

  • to be honest, you really exceeded my expectation.  your vehicle did actually hover from pedal power. if you can do this kinda stuff as early age as you are, i gota say you will be really rich.

  • @furionese I did this when I was 12/13 years old (but instead of using pedal power, I used a leaf blower =D MUCH easier, I say). Had a lot of fun doing it.

  • Super awesome!!!

  • Well done!!!!! You three are wonderful! Great job!

  • all pretty good, it looks like if there was a higher gear ratio they could create a bit more airflow for the cushion though

  • You're half way there. Great concept! Keep going with it!

  • Epic win... seriously thats awesome.

  • wow they should leard how to use the tool's first !!!using a saw in his lap!

  • This is Awesome Guys!!! Great Job!!!

  • Wow. Congrats!

  • how long did it take

  • The Learning experience in that project is worth a lot, The fact that it actually worked is amazing, , Yeah there are a few problems, but they made it work on the first model. That dose not always happen, usually the prototype is a failure. Any one who talks trash probably works a dead end job and cannot do anything at all. Grate job kids!!! keep it up.

  • really cool, but absolutely useless... Hook an electric motor on that thing.

  • I dig the music. Impressive video.

  • Congratulations! very good!

  • really cool! I think it needs a lower center of gravity for the rider, and about 30% more rpm. Great craftsmanship. 3 gold stars.

  • nice job! you should try building one with a fan in the back and two on the side to control the direction you turn... not sure how that would work out... i'm more interested in bicycle helicopters... so i don't have to ride my bike to my gf's all the time, i can just fly... maybe someday.

  • @monk3y7humbs hahaha!!

  • Very impressive work! Blown away by the craftsmanship, thought you were a large college club until I read the accompanying text. A blower might have worked better than a fan (better stall behavior), but perhaps you chose a fan because of RPM issues and/or potential gearing weight. I hope you are all considering joining human powered engineering teams in college.

  • This is sooooo cool, well done. Indeed you need to get the centre of gravity down to get things stable, but what you did already is very impressive!

  • Awsome job, as a fellow engineer I can say, you will have to somehow lower the center of gravity of the rider to get the stability you need, but wow, I'm inpressed guy's, good job.

  • nice idea, and works! it needs to much power though, you will be dead tiered in 5 minutes or so, so you can not ride it very far.

  • Wow that's damn cool

  • Sweet prop design, Great Job with the whole thing.

  • this is great i'm sure finding the right gearing you would perfect it!

  • Wow! I am inspired! Awesome! Thanks for sharing

  • now get a cordless drill to power it

  • a little impractical, but damn fine job! lol high school kids too!

  • Excellent work! Have you guys ever gone any further? I would love to see some more!

  • keep the dream alive!!!

  • Im not gonna lie this video got me emotional lol

  • Fantastic! I was always told that stuff like this was not possible.

  • Not bad, not bad at all! It's freakin cool!!!!

  • what did you use for the skirt

  • what was the reason for reclined pedaling? really nice work. Just looks uncomfortable.

  • Briliant. You must have felt so pleased when it actually worked. A fantastic reinterpretation of a great British invention. Are you going to try a jump jet next!

  • Wow, nothing like the raw expression of the human spirit manifest in some form of creativity. I also am working on a human powered aircraft but it is very different in design than yours. Watching this post was very inspirational to me. Keep up the good work. Long live the free and creative spirit of man! Down with the Illuminati/NWO, and all those who would thwart and limit the mighty human spirit.

  • @firstbornbirdman well said.

  • thats like really boss, but i think if you had one in the back too it would be alot more effecient

  • lol that shit is funny

  • better off using a bicycle to get around

  • Well, colour me impressed. Great work by all involved!

  • Brilliant! Great job!

  • yhe only thing i could think of was tourettes guy on the phone

  • Amazing. I tried to build stuff like this in highschool but none of it worked! I dind't have a real shop to work in though so that didn't help.

    Good stuff!

  • you all should be on destroy build destroy on cartoon network

  • If it didn't work..... You still archvieved something... You made first human powered snail machine! :D

  • sweet!!! u just need to make the plastic thinner so it sits colser to the ground

  • Hatin on the haters! These kids did a GREAT job! What did you accomplish in high school? The lessons in engineering they took away are enormous. These kids are the future inventors of new innovative goods. They'll be wealthy and happy while you are still posting crap on youtube.

  • right on!

  • @sumthinelse5790 blows the the hovercraft and two hang gliders I made outta the water, only had 35$ budgets all 3 times though :( what happens when your an inventor from da hood lol. Good job , you guys did great, woulda loved to help design that beast of a machine, looked really nice for not being factory made, ultra props. :)

  • @Twist3dNick A handglider made for 35$??? You are a brave man! Should I even ask how you tested the thing? LOL! ALL i know, is if I had 35 bucks for a handglider...Id use 30 bucks on the glider...then pay some homeless guy 5 bucks to test it out! *not saying I actually WOULD put some poor homeless guy into that position...Im just saying if I HAD to.....I wouldnt test the thing! LOL!

  • @Liv2xplore Bravo!!

  • @Liv2xplore I wasn't even hatin' and that hurt,.... ouch !!!!

  • @Liv2xplore Yeah. I mean; it may be a dubious design but the fact of the matter is that they get massive points just for making it work.

  • that was quite a fail..

    XD

  • whow this is like some epic science project! damn id ride it

  • Wow, this is cool. Great vid.

  • dont like the song

  • gear it higher?

  • In 500 wards projects are made with low cost items. The ideal behind "hovercraft" is to float over a body of solid or Liquid mas. Well, you pulled it off. Having put a lot of time, hard work, and money. However, there is one thing you also put in, a lot of SWEAT! Moving two feet, by taking 15 power-kicks! MAN MADE POWER? LOL LOL LOL. You could have wired up a gas power weed waker, or a deep cell battery Going GREEN to a input pulley. Maybe you could sell it to the Biggest Loser show. TheyNeedIT

  • Nice! I would have bet against a hover, but you pulled it off.

  • just needs Electronic Control System for weight balance - 1 dinamo + 10 KG water + 6 sensors+ 1 six way water pump, and 1 engineer XD , and then all will be perfect :)

  • Also I think vacuum formed plastic molds for the structure instead of aluminum.

    I know, I know, ...but at least it's cheaper than carbon fiber to make.

  • Great go at it, but ultimately the rider should have been setup to ride in a prostrate position like riding a speedbike.

    The rider can hold the handlebars supported un the chest and use downward force to move pedal rods more like a pedal car and not like a fixed bike crank.

    This will lower the center of gravity and allow more torque to the prop with a heavier belt/chain.

  • wicked video.

  • badass guys what type of materials did u use for the lift fan????

  • Really great job! Quite impressive!

  • :30, GREAT SAFETY! lol

    Watch the leg!

  • cool!!

  • aww u guys wer soooo close ;) keep up the good work. plus practise makes perfect

  • You guys went all out making this thing, great job!!

  • Nice work. So close.

    Where did you get the design for the turbine? Are you sure you're getting the right RPM - Torque - airflow and gearing?

    Anyway to cut down on the mechanical linkages to the turbine to help lighten it?

  • Wounderful, great idea and solution!

  • Awsome job !!!

  • COOL

  • You could easily find a sponsor by now!

    Great job, now keep improving it.

  • Fantastic!!! Now there is a worthwhile school project.

    Great thinking all involved--great futures I'm sure!

    Good luck!

  • I thought the Human powered Helicopter was a laugh! but this is the icing on the cake! :D

  • i have seen plenty of homemade hovercrafts. but a human powered one?! wow

  • Well I wasn't going to comment on anything...but I had to say that I laughed out loud when I read this.

    Great project. And I thought building a bicycle pump air cannon out of PVC was a cool school project...this one was a tad better. What CAD software was that?

  • Nice Work Guys. If u were to sell I will be the Person to buy one. Good job

  • Great job !!

    However, did you think about improving it ?

    You know..comfortability, steering abilities ect'..

  • Excellent Work! You appear to have researched designs, evaluated materials, developed low tech (in the complimentary sense) building techniques and made a functioning proof of concept prototype. You should include this information when you apply to college(s). A forward thinking engineering company would consider a 'sponsorship' for your education. (HINT HINT).

  • Well done!

  • wouldn't walking just be easier. and you cant even steer. sure ist cool but i think its too buch work. and you would need another blower to propel you forward.

  • great work dude's! finaly a good working hover! usefull info al last ^^

  • Comment removed

  • awsome

  • Cool! ! ! :-o ! !

  • I am 63 years old and I am inspired by your work, especially since I grew up near Tallahassee!

  • OHH SNAP!!!

  • I wish our engineering club was smart enough to do this.

  • try to use the sun's energy

  • but then its not human power...

  • DUDE, after watching the other videos that fail so much I didn't think it was possible without extremely light materials etc.. but you DID IT!? man, I want one of these :D

  • Great work guys, next step is the thrust duct! Rating 5 from me!

  • wow nice guys i wish i could build something like that

  • i bet i know were the inspiration for fan came ;)

  • My dream job, quitting college because everything I learn is so easy and boring anyways, then building cool stuff, toys etc.

    Nice job!

    Song makes me wanna cry!

  • Fantastic stuff

  • leon high tallahassee florida?

  • VERY COOL!!! GREAT JOB, GUYS!!!

  • am i the only one whos thinking this the music is a bit out of place?

  • it pisses me off

  • yep. It is annoying as hell...

  • lol

  • DAM IT! THAT IS FRICKIN AWESOME!!!!! i wish i had one...

  • Awesome aweome awesome! Use smaller gears so you can peddle slower and get more power out of the fan!

  • @langlebl bigger pedal gear, smaller fan gear

  • too cool dude loooks like im going too homedepot

  • Excellent job using low-tech low-cost construction and ingenuity. With a few improvements you might have a great hovercraft. Impressive!

  • awesome...  and yes, as some said:

    center of gravity is too high and base is too narrow, this is quite probably whats causing the great instability

  • oh btw how long did it take you guys?

  • high school students? wow... how? nicely done.

  • I can't believe someone did this it was the most awesome thing I've seen

  • whandle bars are essential for this

  • That is verry cool,I second that you need some sort of handlebars or something ,perhaps if you had a system where you could swing your body weight around ever so slightly you could get some sort of control,I could see where a flywheel might help to maintain a usable rpm this would help stability , Very neat project ..

  • I would suggest some handle bars coming out from the side of the seat so that you don't have to stick your arms behind you so far to balance out. Seems like it would be a lot more comfortable...and the rear would be slightly more even and not dragging as much due to you not pushing down on the back. So the craft would even out. Just an observation...might work, might not. Trial and error.

  • kick ass it needs bladders

  • bikes r faster and cheaper..

  • cool dude nice work you only need something to have some balance oh and how many mhonts or years or days did you take for this

  • Amazing! I'm not sure I would take it out on a lake though. :)

  • @Capnmax its alright, just keep one thing on your mind "Your almost there." Till you make it there! heh

  • Great Job !!!!!!

  • what is this song called... i like it

  • the police every breath you take

  • Great work!

    I guess the gyroscope effect is making it unbalanced, since using a flywheel would be a great idea to keep the momentum needed to hover, adding another controllable fan to thrust forwards would be cool, but would take extra effort of the driver..

  • Cool it worked usually you need a few horse power to make one of these go.

  • Wow!!!

    Congratulations again!!! Just some adjustment on the gear ratios and it will work better!

  • Congratulations!!!!!

  • wowow it worked

  • why don`t you post another video that show the back propeller?

  • the only problem with the design is that theres only one fan there needs to be a fan in back too

  • We have a thrust propeller and rudder on there, but it is not in the video yet.

  • maybe ill use it to go to school! lol

  • GREAT JOB GUYS!!!!!!!!

  • fucking unreal. well done!! you even made the fan yourselves which greatly impressed me. very well done.

  • Hi, can some1 tell me what pc program do u use from sec. 07-08 ?

    Ps:

    Im desperate !Some1 help me!

  • it sure looks like google sketchup 2 me.

  • brilliant!!!! nice work... i think next u can concentrate on weight distribution.

  • Put a motor and rear Alerons for control then u be laugh'n

  • I like how he is using a saw an inch above his knee

  • All righty then, wrap it up boys, I'll take it. You three should be EXTEMELY proud of yourselves. Truly awesome project. You all have bright futures ahead of you

  • we are trying hard to build ,hovecraft for inter colg exhibition competition , good it has given some idea,but not up to the mark ,...do any one have details of efficieny and specificaton of engine like thant mail me pls..

  • fucking brilliant!

  • very cool

  • Very impressive!

  • cool!!!!

  • just a thought but doesn't the narrow ending of the fan decrease it's efficiency? i mean it's the part of it that moves the fastest and has the most potential as well as being close to the outline of the hole where extra pressure is needed to keep the air in. correct me if i'm wrong.

  • the end is narrow in order to create roughly the same amount of force along the entire surface of the blade.. this shape is actually more efficient than a propeller with a broad end and is easier for the rider to pedal at high speed. and you are correct about the close tolerance between the blade and the housing... this is from memory from studies in aerodynamics about 6 years ago.. i could be wrong (:

  • well, i didn't study anything related to that, can't argue with you on that one...

  • All i can say is, DO WANT!!

    Make it steerable and by god you could sell it for millions!

  • If you do something like this again, use a hot wire cutter on the foam. It's a lot faster, and you'll get a more accurate result.

    -jcr

  • VERY VERY AMAZING. you nay publish the construction details of the same and I an waing for your latest improvement video.

  • cool video and project :D its great the way you show you made everything from scratch ! i loved the fan pieces. :)

  • That was pretty sweet, dude. Yup.