Aircraft

Together at last – an RC car and a quadcopter

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B is a combination RC car and quadcopter, which can be driven or flown
A diagram of B's various components
The rear wheel-drive vehicle has a tough polycarbonate body, and four wheels referred to as driving rings
B is a combination RC car and quadcopter, which can be driven or flown
Each driving ring is driven not by a center-mounted axle, but instead by cog mechanisms at the bottom of the rim
The driving rings are flexible and removable
Some of B's features
View gallery - 6 images

Quadcopters are becoming more and more popular with radio-controlled model enthusiasts, but sometimes ... sometimes you still just want to remotely-control a car. If that’s the case with you, then UK-based product designer Witold Mielniczek has got you covered. His prototype vehicle, known simply as B, functions as both a quadcopter and an off-road racer.

The rear wheel-drive vehicle has a tough polycarbonate body, and four wheels referred to as driving rings. Each ring is driven not by a center-mounted axle, but instead by cog mechanisms at the bottom of the rim. This leaves the center of the rings clear for four 7-inch propellers, which allow the vehicle to get airborne on the fly (no pun intended).

The driving rings are flexible and removable, so they won’t snap every time B makes a hard landing. The propellers are also flexibly-mounted, adding to the vehicle’s crash-worthiness.

Power is provided by an 11.1-volt lithium-polymer battery, which reportedly provides up to 15 minutes of combined driving and flying per charge. Additionally, an onboard 720p video camera can record point-of-view footage to a Micro SD card.

Some of B's features

Mielniczek has a working prototype, and now hopes to add features such as full waterproofing (allowing it to also serve as a sort of boat), the ability to suck itself onto walls, and a smartphone control app. Eventually, he might even look into the possibility of building a full-sized passenger-carrying vehicle based on the technology, that could be used for humanitarian purposes.

Before any of that can happen, however, he needs to raise production funds, so he’s turned to a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of £320 (US$484) will get you a ready-to-assemble B, when and if the funding goal is met. If you don’t want to supply your own transmitter and would like to get a fully-assembled model, you’ll need to pledge £400 ($605).

B can be seen in action in the campaign video below.

Source: Kickstarter

View gallery - 6 images
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33 comments
Richard Auchus
There's only one thing left to do... Make it bigger, and give us our flying car!
Slowburn
Think about what percentage of the drivers that you see you want controlling a vehicle that can fly over you and your loved ones.
Bob Ehresman
Yeah, seems like there was a DARPA program to develop a flying car concept that could roll on secure roads and fly over hazards like IEDs or escape ambushes.
When saw the first photos of it, I wondered if the wheels would rotate 90 degrees to form prop bumpers.
Witold Mielniczek
I dream about it. It is a feasible idea considering the propeller size. Additionally coaxial unit can be mounted to double the thrust or decrease the diameter of the wheel.
yrag
Nicely done Mr. Mielniczek!
Nantha Nithiahnanthan
Well designed concept. It is different and thought provoking. Plus, it can actually be used in reality with little change. This concept should encourage more practical designs, soon.
Rustam Eynaliyev
this + more flexible wheels, for better comfort + google self-driving algos and we've got ultimate transportation solution
shadyside
Amazing concept definitely impressive.
Witold Mielniczek
Hi thank you very much for positive comments, It is a pleasure to see people with imagination sharing the same dream in one place!!
If the car would make it to full size, it would look different has more safety features. For example coaxial unit to decrease the size of wheel and have higher static thrust from the same surface area, blade guards, Twin engine etc. endless possibility to make it real.... For good sake no!! no flying in the city is too loud already!!!! just open empty space to jump over the traffic or go for a picnic in the middle of nowhere!! B could also serve as rescue vehicle and get to accident site before anything else!
Michael Crumpton
When I saw the design I thought that the car was going to use the props like an airboat (with wheels), but I suppose that would not have very good performance.