Researchers in the Czech Republic unveiled a remotely-controlled bicycle that can hover a few metres above ground for five minutes like helicopter, this bicycle weights 95kg (210lb). During the video we can see this bicycle is carrying a dummy rider and successfully take off, flies around and land.

     This bike is powered by two battery-run propellers on the front, two on the back and one on each side.

     According the article, this machine could help two-wheeled commuters avoid zigzagging through traffic jams. However it's not quite ready to hit the road yet,because the batteries only allow for a few minutes of flight.

    The technical director of this project, Milan Duchek think this problem will be solved in the future. We can expect that in the future the capacity would be enough for the bike to used for sports, tourism or similar things because the capacity of batteries doubles about every 10 years.

     Actually, it's not the first attempt to make a bicycle fly. In 2009, there was an IT teacher, John Carver, constructed a flying tricycle which he called "Flyke" and flew it across the UK, from Lands End to John o'Groats. Mr. Carver's machine is powered by a two-stroke twin propeller motor and is equipped with a parachute always open when the bike is in the air.

     Also, in the early 20th Century, the very first flying machines were bicycles with wings attached to the frame. But they didn't really fly, they just soaring



source:
BBC news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22885602

Bike makes riders high-flyers, if only for five minutes
By Katia Moskvitch
Technology reporter, BBC News