We’ve all seen this type of thing before. They’ve been in every sci-fi movie from Star Wars to Star Trek. They used to get talked about on TV shows such as Tomorrow’s World. Now fortunately lots of clever people are actually making these things. And they’re doing it right now. We’re talking hover bikes and hover cars.

Imagine being able to glide 20ft above ground on a pre-programmed course with no traffic jams, no traffic lights and not having your passenger telling you to “mind the pot holes” very 2 minutes. Ah, the luxury of it all. But how much of a reality is it?

Bike

Let’s start with the hover bike. Well, you know the thing that Luke & Leia ride on through that forest in Return of the Jedi? We’re talking that sort of thing here. There is a company in Los Angeles called Aerofex and they are currently developing and testing such a vehicle. Inevitably, they’re testing it in the middle of a desert. One should imagine that stopping the thing and turning corners wouldn’t be too easy in a built-up area. Apparently it’s been described as a hovercraft that looks like a floating motorbike with no wheels and can travel at up to 45mph.

Aeroflex are saying that they’re targeting such people as farmers who have to cover a lot of open land in a short space of time. They also believe it’ll be useful in areas that have suffered natural disasters, in order to provide quick access over wide areas for rescue and relief missions. They don’t come cheap though. A hover bike in the US would initially cost around $85,000.

Ewoks

However, there’s no guarantee you’ll be annoyed by Ewoks, chased through forests by Imperial Stormtroopers or that you’ll have to whip out your lightsaber to protect yourself.

Car

So now let’s look at the hover car. This is currently going on in Tel Aviv. This isn’t actually a load of cars hovering around of their free will, zooming about wherever they like. It’s more like two-person pods that are suspended from elevated magnetic tracks. Initially a 500m loop of magnetic track will be built around the headquarters of Israel Aerospace Industries. Then later there will be a commercial network.

This is the exciting bit! Apparently, you’ll be able to order your vehicle on your smartphone, hop in and “hover” directly to your destination. The maximum speed will be similar to the LA hover bike at around 43mph. Although they’re hoping the commercial hover cars will be faster. The company building this network is called skyTran and is based at NASA in California.

Magnetic

According to one expert, this network of magnetic tracks would be cheaper to construct than a railway and would be 20ft above ground, so it wouldn’t interfere with very much that’s on the ground.

So next time you’re stuck on the bus next to the weirdo with BO, imagine ordering your hover car on your smartphone and gliding into work suspended from a magnetic track. Although, had it been invented 40 years ago I can’t imagine a Reg Varney sitcom being created around it. “On The Hovercars” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

Imagine being able to glide 20ft above ground on a pre-programmed course with no traffic jams, no traffic lights and not having your passenger telling you to “mind the pot holes” very 2 minutes. Ah, the luxury of it all. But how much of a reality is it?

Bike

Ewoks

Car

Magnetic

For more on the hoverbike, click here http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140623-the-real-life-hoverbike

For more on the hovercar, click here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27995437

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