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Back in 2013 the American Helicopter Society's Sikorsky prize of $250,000 for a successful "human powered helicopter" was finally awarded.
A team had successfully met the AHS requirements: a "helicopter" powered by a human, remaining airborne for minimum 60 seconds, attaining a minimum altitude of 3.3 meters above ground, and not drifting out of a 10 x 10 meter square.
I'm confoozled. In these two videos of the event, is the human actually providing the power to lift the machine?
Video 1 - note the comment just after 1:50, "Unspooling string makes the rotors turn". Also note the string coiled on a cone below each rotor. What's that string doing?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emK-qIbuJ-k
Video 2 - at about 1:20, the video shows the string cone, with narration "the string is wrapped around there, which goes directly to the bicycle in the center". Again, what's the purpose of the string?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hGz3Ry298g
So, did the man on the bicycle provide all the power for the lift off and hover? Or was there potential energy stored in those cones of string, which was slowly released by the human?
Enquiring Minds Want to Know!
Thanks.
Tom M.
A team had successfully met the AHS requirements: a "helicopter" powered by a human, remaining airborne for minimum 60 seconds, attaining a minimum altitude of 3.3 meters above ground, and not drifting out of a 10 x 10 meter square.
I'm confoozled. In these two videos of the event, is the human actually providing the power to lift the machine?
Video 1 - note the comment just after 1:50, "Unspooling string makes the rotors turn". Also note the string coiled on a cone below each rotor. What's that string doing?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emK-qIbuJ-k
Video 2 - at about 1:20, the video shows the string cone, with narration "the string is wrapped around there, which goes directly to the bicycle in the center". Again, what's the purpose of the string?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hGz3Ry298g
So, did the man on the bicycle provide all the power for the lift off and hover? Or was there potential energy stored in those cones of string, which was slowly released by the human?
Enquiring Minds Want to Know!
Thanks.
Tom M.