Solar-powered Citycopter could let commuters whizz from London to Paris in just two hours

According to the film Back to the Future Part II, 2015 is supposed to be the year of the flying car.

But if you're thinking that flying cars arriving as early as next year sounds a bit far-fetched, then you might want to check out proposals from Eduardo Galvani.

He claims his design, known as the Fly Citycopter, could be the air-borne method of transport we were promised by Doc Brown and Marty McFly's time travelling exploits.

We have all imagined the concept of flying cars whizzing past us in the future. This idea has been explored by scientists and certainly in futuristic films, however Eduardo Galvani has taken the idea a step further with his creation called the Fly Citycopter (pictured)

The Fly Citycopter is essentially a personal helicopter designed to transport us around cities in a much more efficient and eco-friendly way than relying on driving or waiting for a bus.

INVENTIONS IN 2015 ACCORDING TO BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II

Portable nuclear fusion reactors

Flying cars

Self-tying shoes
Changeable window scenery
Weather forecasts accurate to the second

Self-drying clothes

Automated petrol stations

Hoverboards

Galvani said for now, he hopes that this concept will inspire creative people working within the transportation industry to consider developing alternative means of eco-friendly travel in crowded places. 

The designer noticed that urban traffic is becoming increasingly busy and starting to overflow as the urban population in busy cities continue to grow.

 

'The pollution caused by CO2 emission is making the urban atmosphere worse each time,' he says.

'In Paris, this year, government provided public transportation for free and asked people to not use their cars for three days in an attempt of battle against the intense pollution of the air. 

'Also in this year, in Beijing, giant LCD panels were used to show a virtual sunset to pedestrians, while the city was evolved in a very dense and polluted atmosphere hiding the natural horizon.'

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Look familiar? The concept of a flying personal vehicle with a spherical roof was popularised by the cartoon The Jetsons, which had some rather fantastical visions of the future on Earth

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The Fly Citycopter is essentially a personal helicopter designed to transport us around cities in a much more efficient and eco-friendly way than relying on driving or waiting for a bus

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Galvani said for now, he hopes that this concept will inspire creative people working within the transportation industry to consider developing alternative means of eco-friendly travel in crowded places

The inventor points out how cities across the world, including London, experienced terrible fog and pollution in April this year.

FLY CITYCOPTER SPECS

Dimensions: 20.8 x 17.1 x 18 feet (6.34 x 5.20 x 5.49 metres)
Weight: 2,450 pounds (1,110 kilograms)
Max Altitude: 12,000 feet (3,600 metres)
Max Speed: 120 miles (190 kilometres) per hour
Range: 300 miles (480 kilometres)
Baggage loading: 210 pounds (95 kilograms)
Ready to fly in 1 minute

However he believes that we are experiencing a 'strong wave of green energy', representing a human effort to challenge global warming.

And he claims that his personal helicopters could be part of this green revolution, providing people with greener and easier ways of getting to work.

Using fans and electric engines, the portable vehicles would limit the creation of pollutants.

By simply blowing air, Galvani hopes they would help to alleviate the waste chemicals that are leaked by cars in urban centres at the moment.

The vehicle would be powered by electricity and recharged by the sun using solar cells.

It would be similar in flight and handling to a helicopter, albeit cheaper, easier to control, quieter and smoother thanks to its multiple fans according to Galvani.

While it can be controlled manually, it can also apparently go into autopilot mode for take-off, flight and landing.

It would be made from carbon, aluminium and titanium, with its side coated in solar cells.

However, he isn't in the process of building the vehicle at the moment.

For now, he says the concept is 'just to inspire creative people from the industry of transportation about another possible way to make a new reality come true'.

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'The pollution caused by CO2 emission is making the urban atmosphere worse each time,' says Galvani. 'In Paris, this year, government provided public transportation for free and asked people to not use their cars for three days in an attempt of battle against the intense pollution of the air'

Credit : Dailymail.