Vonmercier Arosa is the first luxury hovercraft in the world

Vonmercier Arosa Design Concept

Hovercrafts used to be just a dream. Well, there aren’t really flying cars available but we believe time will come they will proliferate the skies. For now, we look at the Arosa and start imagining about that future.

This doesn’t mean we’ll stop dreaming. We won’t. We’ll go on thinking about the day when all the futuristic gadgets and designs we’ve seen or imagined will become a reality. Someday, we’ll get to fly and hover in style. When we say hovercraft these days, we mean those amphibious types the can go off-road. Someday, an electric hovercraft will be able to do more but let’s allow the Arosa Hovercraft to show us what it can do.

Designer: VonMercier

Vonmercier Arosa Hovercraft

VonMercier’s Arosa Hovercraft is an electric hovercraft. It combines two innovations that are currently creating a lot of buzz–the hover technology used on drones and the electric automotive tech. This amphibious vehicle boasts a luxury design and offers premium performance technologies that are proving to be really useful.

The luxury sports hovercraft is the first in the world. We’ve seen a number of hovercraft designs but not as luxurious as the Arosa. At first glance, it looks like a luxury sports car. The red paint makes it one attractive vehicle. You can be sure people won’t miss it whether on land, water, or shore.

Vonmercier Arosa Concept Design

The Arosa can hover over different terrains—the road, gravel, pavement, or grass. You can easily transition to water with the air cushion hovering mechanism that makes everything seamless. This is probably something you’d want to drive when there’s a flood or when you want to cross any river or body of water.

Vonmercier Arosa Luxury Sports Hovercraft

For when you’re traveling to a new place, you can use the Arosa to explore the shores or any hidden cove nearby in a safe and convenient manner. It’s really an amphibious vehicle that can travel over different surfaces. It works by traveling on a cushion of air.

The “hovering” act makes it seem the vehicle is flying. It looks like it so we won’t be surprised if a flying version will be designed next. The Arosa is closer to that concept and still looks great. The design of the hovercraft is that it’s easy to maneuver, thanks to a patented directional control system. The innovation allows more advanced maneuverability in all directions—reverse, lateral, or forward.

Vonmercier Arosa Design

The modern hovercraft design still offers that classic sports car look with that side thrust, front end, and low profile body. As with most amphibious vehicles, this comes with marine features like an open cockpit and side decks. It still looks like a supercar so it can be street legal.

The Arosa is expected to be always ready for the road or the water. It comes with a premium design that includes metal alloys and carbon fiber. These materials are high-end and offer protection for the drive. But then there is a call to work on smart manufacturing techniques so prices will be affordable.

Vonmercier Arosa Hovercraft Concept

The two-seater hover sports car runs on a high voltage battery pack. There are three independent electric motors inside the vehicle that keeps it moving. Those motors also allow steady lift and controlled thrust for powerful maneuvering and acceleration sans the noise. The mechanism also helps reduce pollution levels.

The Arosa sports hovercraft uses different construction techniques as well learned from the aerospace, automotive, and marine industries. The upper decks make it easy to enter coming from a dock. On the other hand, its lower decks make it easier for the rider to board from the water.

Vonmercier Arosa Concept Design 3

Vonmercier Arosa Hovercraft Idea

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The post Vonmercier Arosa is the first luxury hovercraft in the world first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Mario Kart hovercraft is made from cardboard and looks like it’s floating off the ground




Being a hardcore fan doesn’t always mean having the real deal. Sometimes, it also pays to also step outside the box, like these cardboard masterpieces that actually work.

Among the many games attached to the Super Mario franchise, Mario Kart is perhaps one that is loved by almost all demographics. It isn’t as serious nor as demanding as other Mario titles, particularly the platformers, but is just as fun and perhaps even more so because of its wacky antics and controls. There have been many attempts at bringing this game to the real world, with some leading to sometimes legally questionable stunts, but one YouTuber goes the extra mile by making versions that are eco-friendly to some extent.

Designer: DanCreator

Things in the maker and design communities have changed drastically in the last few years. The Raspberry Pi and similar single-board computers or SBCs kicked off a variety of small and DIY projects that needed an affordable and small computer to run the show. 3D printing also made it possible for almost anyone to create parts for those creative endeavors. Nothing, however, truly says “creative” than creating something out of almost nothing using one of the most common materials available: cardboard.

YouTube=r DanCreator is more than just a gaming fanboy. He is also an artist and a maker that recreates childhood memories using cardboard and with very minimal electronics and even fewer non-recyclable materials. Of course, when making something that somewhat realistically recreates the feeling of Mario Kart, he does have to make some compromises. For example, he had to basically use a Nintendo Switch for one project while using a sheet of wood for another. It was, however, all worth it.

The creator loved Mario Kart so much that he did more than just one cardboard-based project. The first is perhaps a bit more common, an arcade cabinet that plays the game the way it is meant to be played, with a steering wheel. The more interesting project, however, is the hovercraft, a vehicle that is admittedly not present in the game. Granted, it’s also less sustainable, with the use of large fans and electricity to lift the lightweight construction off the ground. Seeing it slide over a smooth indoor gym floor, however, might make you forget that, even for a brief moment.

The Mario Kart hovercraft doesn’t exactly levitate over the ground. Instead, it uses inflatable tubes whose transparent bottoms give that illusion. At least he does reuse the steering wheel from the cardboard arcade cabinet on the hovercraft to reduce unnecessary duplication of parts, even if it’s merely decorative.

The post This Mario Kart hovercraft is made from cardboard and looks like it’s floating off the ground first appeared on Yanko Design.

Back to the Future II DeLorean Hovercraft for Sale: Great Scott!

I am so glad that no one has remade, rebooted, or changed the gender in Back to the Future. These movies should be left alone. If they did reboot it they would likely feel the need to give us some new versions of the time-traveling DeLorean. Like this hovercraft version for example.

It’s not really a DeLorean though. It just looks like one. What you’re looking at is a custom-built hovercraft that looks like the time-traveling DeLorean from Back to the Future II. It will cost you $45,000 or best offer, and you can buy it on eBay.

Here are some of the details:

“This is a hand-made hovercraft that was built between 2008 and 2012 and continuously improved upon since then. I have recently remodeled and upgraded much of it and it is now in the best shape of its life. The thrust engine is about 5 years old and has about 40 hours on it. The lift engine is new and has about 10 hours on it. I spent the last 4 months working full-time to get it in great condition for you! New paint job, new rudders, new wiring, new switches, new led lights, etc.”


What you get:

  • Hand-built hovercraft sculpted to look exactly like a DeLorean. This is a functional work of art, it is not an actual DeLorean bolted onto a hovercraft.
  • Custom flatbed tilting trailer built specifically for this hovercraft
  • Miscellaneous spare parts and supplies including spare engine parts, fans and propellers, nuts and bolts.
  • The hovercraft is based on the blueprints for the Universal Hovercraft UH-13PT
  • Free phone consultations for any technical questions you might have

Sadly, I don’t think it will ever hit 88 mph. Any takers?

[via Boing Boing via Geekologie]

Kalashnikov’s next military gear might be hoverbikes

Popular Mechanics reports that a Russian defense company has developed a flying vehicle that took to the air earlier this week as manufacturers demonstrated what it can do. The hovercraft, built by Kalashnikov Concern, gets its lift from 16 sets of r...

Dad Built His Son a Working Hovercraft

Some dads are truly awesome. Like Minnesota Savvysherpa, Inc research scientist Paul Boswell. He is a truly cool dad, having built a working hovercraft for his son, Oliver.

You can watch the video below and see the kid put it through its paces. Man, that thing looks like a lot of fun. I wish that my dad had made me something like that. Of course, my dad wasn’t a scientist. It would have been fun to hover around the neighborhood like this kid does in his driveway. Now I’m jealous.

I wonder if he would build me one? If you are reading this Paul, I’m willing to take a plane ride to pick it up. I’ll just drive it home.

[via Laughing Squid]

Your Blowdryer’s Big Brother

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Introducing, the Beast! Not quite a motorcycle, not quite a hovercraft… in fact, the closest thing to it might actually be one of those radial fan hairdryers from the 70s because it uses a similar power system! The single pilot compact vehicle achieves both lift and thrust from a single, large, very powerful fan and it maneuvers with fins located at the rear controlled by the rider. Without ground contact, higher speeds can be achieved as the only thing causing resistance is air. But what about braking? Two reverse thrusters divert air in the opposite direction to slow the vehicle. As far-out as the tech may be from becoming a reality, when feasible, it’s sure to give Ducs a run for their money!

Designer: Rico Kersten

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Homemade Hoverbike Is as Fun (and Dangerous) As It Looks

Colin Furze has a long history of creating crazy contraptions and doing crazy stunts. He may have outdone himself this time with his homemade hoverbike. Yes, it looks fun as hell. It also looks dangerous as hell should something go wrong. He could potentially get cut in half somehow or lose a foot to those blades. Still, it’s totally awesome.

hoverbikezoom in


As Colin points out, this hoverbike has no steering, and not even a seat, but that doesn’t bother Colin. He gets on it and he actually flies. It’s somewhat like the speeder bikes from Return of the Jedi, just not as fine tuned. It’s not very fast or maneuverable either, but I would love to ride this thing.

Check out how it was built here.

[via The Awesomer]

10 Incredible Hovercrafts

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They look like a boat and are operated by a pilot in a manner similar to that of an aircraft, these wonderful means of transportation stand out through their versatility which leads to them being used for transportation, commercial, recreational and even military purposes.

Hovercrafts might seem like science fiction for some but they were invented in the 1950s and they are a great way to travel due to the hybrid capabilities that can take you over land, water, ice or mud with ease. Let us take a look at some of the models you can find on the market today and find out a bit more about these amazing creations.

Renegade Hovercraft

They have several models available and this one is the most basic version, making it great for a weekend distraction as well as for commercial or leisure uses. The lower hull is made from Kevlar so you won’t have problems going with this over any places and can even use it in racing due to the fuel injected engine that powers propulsion fan leading to speeds of up to 48mph. it has room for two passengers and you can ride it for up to three hours straight. The price for this hovercraft is $24,900.

The Kaiman from Airlift Hovercraft

Designed to be simple to operate and highly reliable, the Kaiman can be used for military or industrial roles and it can take you through any tough terrain without any problems. The great thing is that you can transport it on a wide trailer on the road and it weighs under a ton. There are eight passenger seats so you can use it for a short cruise. They are quite mysterious about the price of this hovercraft and thus you will have to contact them to find out how much you have to pay for this one.

Griffon 380TD

With a capacity of five persons and really easy to operate controls, this hovercraft can be used to go over water, mud or simply act as a flood rescue. With low noise and a combination of aluminum and composite materials, this hovercraft can accomplish almost any task and reach placed where you couldn’t get with a boat. The maintenance is simple and it is one of the most efficient and advanced hovercrafts you can get for this size. Find out more about it here.

Neoteric Recreational Hovercraft Deluxe

These light hovercrafts stand out through their many customization options that give you more seats, better features, a rooftop or a better ability to control them. You can even get a trailer designed specifically for your hovercraft, because the one you use with your car or boat won’t be usable over any terrain. The price for one of these beauties starts from $25,000 and it will be worth every penny.

Hov Pod SPX TCC 65HP

The complicated name describes a really high powered 3-seat hovercraft that was designed for aviation applications so it is extremely reliable. It’s amazing that you can get access to hovercrafts that were initially designed for military applications and since 2010 this one uses a thermal process to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle while at the same time making it more resistant. Find out more about it here.

Pacific Hovercraft’s Slider

The slider is named thus because of its maneuverability and its ease of use. The engine was made in Germany and it has 70HP, while the propulsion makes it safe over water, snow, dry land or through swamps. Through its flexible skirt you will have stability over any terrain so it is great for fishing, and you won’t damage the surface ecology of any area you pass through. The developers offer a lot of information about it here.

The 2015 Marlin III

The leading manufacturer of small hovercrafts in the UK sells these for private buyers and businesses and this model was designed as a recreational or commercial craft that comes with two or three seats and a large variety of options. The developers go into a really high amount of detail about their work so you should check out this site for more info.

Supercraft by Mercier-Jones

If performance and cost efficiency was the name of the game for most of our previous models, this one focuses on luxury and brings the supercar technology into a hovercraft. This elegant amphibious vehicle will draw many looks but it also boasts an innovative propulsion system and drive train along with a directional control system that will make you feel as if you’re driving a high speed automobile. With two seats and a lot of class, this ride is a unique design and if you add the fact that it’s a limited edition you will understand why the starting price for one is $85,000.

ABS M10 Hovercraft

This award winning hovercraft is quite a bit larger than the previous ones and it was designed for law enforcement and commercial routes. It has two Diesel engines and it stands out for its lower maintenance cost than conventional patrol vessels while still having all the amphibious capabilities. It won the Millennium product award for its advanced technology but you have to contact the developers for more information about the price.

Hammacher Schlemmer Hovercrafts

They have some models that might seem more playful, such as the Golf Cart Hovercraft which allows you to easily to past sand, water or grass at a speed of up to 45 mph, but there are some models that are quite impressive such as their flying hovercraft that brings this means of transportation to a new high. They also offer a more conventional hovercraft with two seats that is well made and will cost you $19,500.

Make it yourself guides

If the idea of spending over $20,000 for a hovercraft is disarming there are other ways of getting one. Check out this project in which someone started from scratch and built one by themselves with a 10 HP engine and under $1,000 in material costs.

Hovercraft Kits

Perhaps the price of a hovercraft seems too steep for you, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting the ride of your dreams. The people from Universal Hovercraft give you access to all the components needed to build one yourself and if you like tinkering with engines this could be a wonderful hobby. They have many models for projects of one to over ten persons and you will certainly have something to be proud of when you build such a machine by yourself. Plus it is much cheaper to assemble one and you will get to know a lot more about how the hovercraft works in the process.

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