Italian company Jet Capsule has released details on their new two-seater flying saucer drone.
Designed by Pierpaolo Lazzarini, the IFO — or “Identified Flying Object,” if you will — looks like it should transport little green men. Instead, it allows two Homo sapiens occupants to spend about an hour zooming through the sky at a brisk 120 miles per hour. Lazzarini is known for his work in futuristic land and marine design, but this appears to be the first time he’s taken to the air.
Just as you would expect, the flying saucer stands on spindly extending legs, with built in suspension to soften landings. Eight rotors are planted in the carbon fiber disc that surrounds the spherical 6.5-foot cockpit in the center, which is accessed via a basket elevator that lowers from the bottom of the craft. In the case of an emergency, the pod can detach from the rest of the vehicle to deploy a parachute for a safe landing.
Lazzarini says that the curious vehicle “does not change much with respect to the technology that is at the base of a standard drone,” aside from being “driven from the inside.” He and Jet Capsule are seeking investors.
There is no word on how expensive having your own personal UFO will be. Still, the experience of scaring your neighbors with the threat of a close encounter? That’s priceless.
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