Follow Canadian Investment Immigration and Canadian Technology development: A human-powered aircraft designed and built by two Canadian engineers successfully flew for 64 seconds, winning the Sikorsky Prize, which had been unclaimed for 33 years, and received a prize of up to $250,000 (approximately 1.517 million RMB).
It is reported that this aircraft was designed and built by Cameron Robertson and Todd Reichert, with the engine part being a rideable bicycle, consisting of four rotors, and a wingspan of 105 feet (approximately 32 meters), comparable to a Boeing 737. Robertson and Reichert began researching human-powered rotorcraft in 2007. In August 2010, the aircraft they developed successfully maintained altitude and flew for 19.3 seconds. In 2012, Robertson, Todd Reichert, and AeroVelo collaborated, and after multiple experiments, they finally succeeded in creating the award-winning aircraft, Atlas. Reichert pedaled the bicycle to provide power to the aircraft and lift it into the air. The aircraft successfully maintained a flight altitude of 3 meters and flew for 64 seconds. Robertson stated that while people may not use such a helicopter for commuting in real life, their goal is to challenge the limits of human capability.
According to reports, the Sikorsky Prize awarded to these two was established by the American Helicopter Society (AHS) in 1980, but no one had won the award in the 33 years since its establishment.
