Flying High with the Flick of a Joystick|用游戏杆翱翔天际

Flying High with the Flick of a Joystick

by Leigh Goldberg

The e-volo multicopter takes personal travel to new heights.

Who wouldn't like to walk out of their house, step into their own vehicle, and fly off into the sky? Now, with the _(1)_ of a personal helicopter, a team of German professionals are close to making this happen.

The e-volo multicopter is not your average helicopter by any means. First, it doesn't have just one propeller. Instead, it has a total of 16. Four are _(2)_ placed on each of the four metallic arms radiating out from the pilot's seat. Second, the uncovered ultralight aircraft weighs around 80 kilograms and can carry a load equal to its own weight. Third, the e-volo is _(3)_ with an almost completely automatic on-board navigation system. The system manages everything from _(4)_ to altitude to balance. The multicopter itself is controlled entirely with a simple video game joystick. Finally, what makes this personal transport vehicle _(5)_ the typical helicopter is that it is powered solely by off-the-shelf lithium-ion batteries. Currently, the e-volo's flight time is _(6)_ to 20 minutes. The creators can _(7)_ that to more than an hour with the integration of a hybrid gas system or increased battery capacity.

Recently, the engineering team _(8)_ completed a manned flight of their e-volo multicopter prototype. The _(9)_ flight lasted one minute and 30 seconds, with the vehicle taking off, hovering, and landing. The design team is now looking into e-volo's _(10)_ applications, including emergency rescue, sightseeing, and aerial photography and surveillance. Without harmful exhaust fumes or excessive noise, the eco-friendly e-volo multicopter is definitely making the possibility of personal flight for the ordinary person a dream come true.

(A) expand  (B) equipped    (C) outshine    (D) creation    (E) historic

(F) direction   (G) limited (H) successfully    (I) potential   (J) strategically

用游戏杆翱翔天际

e-volo多旋翼飞行器把个人旅行推向新境界。

　　有谁不想走出家门，乘坐自己的飞行器翱翔天际呢？现在，随着个人直升机的创意发明，1个德国的专业团队即将实现这个愿望。

e-volo多旋翼飞行器绝不是一般的直升机。首先，它并不只有 1 个螺旋桨，而总共有 16 个。它策略性地在 4 个由驾驶座延伸出去的金属机翼上，各安装 4 具螺旋桨。第二，这种露天的超轻型飞行器仅重 80 公斤，可以负载和它本身相同的重量。第三，e-volo配备有接近全自动的机上导航系统。这个系统可以控制每件事，从方向、高度到平衡无所不包。而这架多旋翼飞行器完全用简单的电动玩具游戏杆来操控。最后，让这项个人运输工具胜过一般直升机的原因在于，它仅用市面上的锂电池来发电。目前，e-volo的飞行时间只限 20 分钟。而随着混合气体系统的整合或是电池蓄电量的增加，发明者可以让飞行时间延长超过 1 个小时。

　　最近，工程团队顺利完成真人操控 e-volo 原型机的飞行。这次历史性的飞行维时 1 分 30 秒，包含起飞、盘旋及降落。设计团队现在正在调查 e-volo可能的用途，包含急难救助、观光以及高空拍照及监控。没有有害的排放废气或过度噪音，环保的 e-volo 绝对能让一般人的个人飞行美梦成真。

答案：1. (D)    2. (J)  3. (B)  4. (F)  5. (C)  

6. (G)  7. (A)  8. (H)  9. (E)  10. (I)

e-volo是由德国人 Thomas Senkel、Stephan Wolf、Alexander Zosel研发。Senkel 等人的设计初衷是造出 1 部可折迭收纳、又具备垂直起降等便利性的个人飞行器。

试飞时，Senkel头戴头盔，用绑带捆住双腿，减震的球体就是普通的瑜伽健身球。由于使用的是锂电池，现阶段它仅能飞行大约 20 分钟。Senkel 说，飞行器『脾气温和』，他们希望尽早研发出新型动力装置，让 e-volo可实现持续飞行数小时。

试飞前，Senkel等人曾在地面成功实施 e-volo 的遥控飞行。他们认为，一旦解决了保持空中长距离飞行的动力装置以及运载更多乘客的问题，e-volo将彻底改变飞行器的概念。（数据源：新浪网）