DIY quadcopter-based 'Star Wars' Speeder Bike takes flight
Watch as this Imperial Speeder Bike made from a first-person-video quadcopter and a vintage "Star Wars" toy flies through the woods.
"Star Wars" fan Adam Woodsworth has constructed his own flying "Star Wars" Speeder Bike with a modified quadcopter and a Hasbro Power of the Force series toy.
"I got into FPV (first-person video) multi-rotor racing a few months ago," Woodsworth wrote on his Make project page. "The fast, low-level flying instantly reminded me of the Endor chase scene from 'Return of the Jedi.'"
"This project was an obvious choice to combine my interest and experience in RC (remote control) flight with my love of 'Star Wars' stuff," Woodsworth added. "I like always having some strange project on the work bench and this one was next in line, an attempt to build a version of the Imperial Speeder Bikes from the movie that I could 'get into' and fly around myself."
Better yet, there's Scout Trooper sitting (well, mounted) on the bike, equipped with a camera in his helmet so we can see what it's like to fly through the park weaving in and out of trees just like in "Return of the Jedi."
The helmet can be swapped for an FPV camera that's mounted to a Styrofoam ball, Woodsworth explained on his project page. "It's a combination camera/video transmitter unit sold by Spektrum and I'm using FatShark Dominator video goggles with a little security camera DVR to record the video on the ground."
Watch "Imperial Speeder Bike First Flights," a video posted earlier this week, to see the creation in action, including footage from the Scout Trooper's point of view.
For fans who want to make their own RC flying Speeder Bike, Woodsworth has posted his building details on Makezine.com.