December 4, 2001
Remote controlled all-terrain vehicles (ATV) are designed to traverse difficult landscapes, overcoming obstacles with oversized tires and rugged suspensions. All of that works spectacularly until the ATV encounters an obstacle too large to roll over or a crevice too wide to jump. A new remote controlled car-helicopter hybrid vehicle, dubbed simply the “B,” hopes to overcome such obstacles by taking to the air.
The secret to the B is in the tires. At 220 mm, the wheels are intended to offer the usual all-terrain capabilities of a remote ATV, giving the B enough traction to overcome obstacles. Simultaneously, the wheels are also large enough to fully encircle the 7 in. helicopter propellers contained within them, offering the props some protection from any bumps the ATV might take.
If the B comes to something it can’t simply roll over, the operator flips a toggle and the propellers begin to spin. The user can then simply guide the B up and over the sort of terrain features that would defeat other types of ATVs. The B also sports an HD camera to record its travels, along with room for a 32GB micro SD card.
A fully assembled B is currently going for £400 (around $650) to backers on Kickstarter, making it somewhat, but not ridiculously, expensive as a toy. Future iterations of the design could incorporate solar panels to provide renewable energy on the go, making the B useful for remote exploration. A full-scale version of the B would certainly make an excellent emergency vehicle.
Below you’ll find the Kickstarter video for the B.
Source: Kickstarter
Subscribe to our FREE magazine,
FREE email newsletters or both!About the Author
![DE Editors's avatar](https://www.digitalengineering247.com/images/avatars/avatar_16.png)
DE’s editors contribute news and new product announcements to Digital Engineering.
Press releases may be sent to them via [email protected].
![](http://scg-de.s3.amazonaws.com/images/made/images/article/Ansys_Access_350_170_bor1_b9b3be_s_c1.png)
![](http://scg-de.s3.amazonaws.com/images/made/images/article/DesktopMetal_Studio_5_350_170_bor1_b9b3be_s_c1.png)
![](http://scg-de.s3.amazonaws.com/images/made/images/article/Coreform_Nuclear_Product_350_170_bor1_b9b3be_s_c1.png)
![](http://scg-de.s3.amazonaws.com/images/made/images/article/Authentise-image-1_600_350_170_bor1_b9b3be_s_c1.jpg)