Lithium batteries are ubiquitous, cheap, and incredibly powerful. Combine them with some brushless DC motors and you’ve got serious power in a compact package. [Ivan Miranda] decided to use this to his advantage, building the Handheld Self Propelling System #1.
Yes, we’ll come right out and say it – it’s a giant fan, and it blows. Or more accurately, it’s four moderately sized fans in one fetching wrist-mounted package. The one thing that seems completely absent from the video is an answer to the obvious question – why? Other than doing damage to the hearing of anyone nearby in an enclosed space, [Ivan] demonstrates its use with the help of a skateboard in the back end of the video.
It’s built with off-the-shelf RC parts and the body is 3D printed. This is the kind of print you want to get right first time – it takes several days to print and uses a significant amount of filament.
Overall, it’s a terrifying device that promises to do something awesome when finished. [Ivan]’s just finished the thrust test and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
If you’re looking for another way to propel yourself on a skateboard, well – there’s always the more conventional electric path.
His laugh is infectious! Glad to see someone having so much fun… I need to retire so I have time for that.
Looks like a Mega Man weapon pickup
if your wife is asking what are you doing, just tell her that you made her a new hair dryer :)
She doesn’t ask anymore…
It would definitely be time for her to cut and style my hair with it if I dared to say that! lol
Some lessons I don’t want to learn the first time.
He never stops printing
In fact I’m printing right now… on three printers at once…
Have you done any measurements on how much current one ESC is drawing at full speed? What’s the separation distance from the propeller tips to the duct wall?
Haven’t measured the current, I’m afraid if I do so I’ll find that I’m well over the reasonable limit of the battery and probably the wiring… About the distance from the propeller tips to the wall I think is (or should be) 1.25 mm. But the ducts aren’t there for aerodynamic efficiency, more for safety and coolness factor…
That’s great! why not having the controls integrated into the grip?
Just take a look at the next episode in the series…