Aerovelo is a group consisting of young engineering students and professionals who strive to push the limits of what raw human strength is capable of achieving. The successful hovering of Atlas is not only a huge achievement, but it is also a very strong reminder that if the gears are placed just right, a single man can do a lot. In the July of 2013, Atlas, the human-powered helicopter flew for 64 seconds in which it achieved a stable flight and an altitude of 9.8 feet.
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The helicopter itself is huge. How huge? Consider a Boeing 737 and then consider a quadcopter that has a square span larger than the Boeing 737, that huge. The span of the Atlas is larger than 150 feet, which makes it slightly larger in span than the flagship commercial aeroplane.
The human-powered helicopter has four large propellers with a frame of a sports bicycle in the centre. The gears of the bicycle are the only power for these propellers. The design of the helicopter is such that the pedalling of this bicycle equally powers all four propellers at the same time. Ultimately, the propellers create lift, and the whole mechanism is capable of taking off from the ground. Much of Atlas’ success also depends on its lightweight.
The helicopter was designed by a Canadian duo and was funded by Kickstarter. Atlas’ 64-second flight hovering at 9.8 feet actually won one of the most challenging and longest-standing milestones in all of aviation’s history. Known as the Sikorsky Prize, the challenge was to create a human-powered aircraft that should hover at the height of at least 9.8 feet for at least 60 seconds. Even after a bounty of $250,000 and 33 years of evolution in technologies, no one could ever win the challenge while there were a lot of attempts. The Sikorsky Prize was established in 1980 and won in 2013. Watch its 2013 video below.
The way history favours the bold is amazing. Cameron Robertson and Todd Reichert, the duo who designed the helicopter were actually rivalled by a team from the University of Maryland. Their aircraft Gamera did achieve a good flight. However, it was unable to stay within the square-foot range mandated by the Sikorsky prize. The same Canadian duo then cofounded Aerovelo which is still going strong.
