Recently showcased at an expo in Nagoya, Hirobo‘s new helicopters can travel up to 100km/h (62mph) and fly for 30 minutes at a time.

Being electric it is also very quiet and there are one-seater choppers that sell for 30 million yen ($375,000) and manless ones (a drone, but a nice one that doesn’t kill people!) for 10 million yen ($125,000).

Hirobo believes the domestic market alone for this kind of technology will grow to 10 billion yen (over $120 million) in 2021.

one man seater electric silent helicopter hirobo japan
Image source

The one-seater chopper is not quite as funky as the James Bond rocket backpack in Thunderball, but it’s getting there.

eye-mask

This kind of mobile technology is obviously very useful for earthquakes and other disasters when you need to send people into dangerous and difficult terrain to look for survivors. Sure, it’s maximum travel time is very short, but this may be vital for delivering supplies of blood, organs or other emergency equipment.

manless drone electric silent helicopter hirobo japan

Hirobo also hopes to develop two-seater versions.

GEN Corporation previously developed the GEN H-4, which they claimed was the world’s smallest manned helicopter.

The GEN H-4 was much cheaper (¥7.5 million/$100,000) but runs on noisy gasoline.

japan trend shop

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13 Comments

  • adel August 3, 2013

    Dear Sir

    im looking to build one in my country
    please sned me some details about building it and the price of the engine with all its accessories .

    Thank you

  • Mario Chura March 30, 2014

    Please send me your price and perfomance

  • Perry Corn July 28, 2014

    Dear Sir, I think youhave a great little helicopter and people would love to own one but the price is to high and only will want to buy one only, I am at present desgining one myself which I am look at the concept look that everyone uses to make there product look good but you can never buy it I tend to make it look good as the finish product and looks moden and at very like cost that why only certian ultralight aircraft have dont so well as they can be bought 1 at a time and people dont have to wait years for the finish product I am hopeing to be flying next year and we can met and exchange ideas I love you helicopter

  • Kadlec August 20, 2014

    Hi, I m interested to sell your HIROBO helicopters in Europe (Czech republic). Can you send me more informations please? Thank you and best regards. Kadlec

  • amro el sharkawy November 1, 2014

    I am interested to sell your product in the middle Kuwait.

  • Pierre July 29, 2015

    Several time I requested a quote CIF t my country (Europe) but I never received a reply. I could have used this machine very successfully if it existed!
    I will not be surprised that this machine is far away from production by just in a development for a journalistic scoop….Like going to the moon!

  • Germain July 30, 2015

    By lieing too much, you may not be able to call your dog!

  • Aditya November 5, 2015

    I am interested in selling your product.

  • Gordon Youd November 18, 2015

    One wonders where this is going. Soon we may have helicopter police, you just could not run away from.
    The future for drones is also going that way.
    You park your car and a police drone comes out of nowhere right up to your ear and tells you “You cannot park there”
    What a future for our children… scary!

    The future of the drone

  • Mike Bowling December 20, 2015

    Want to sell I’m America. Please send literature and video.
    Thanks!

  • kartik sharma February 25, 2016

    its a very good engineering i hope i will also get chance to do something like that.

  • Tor Henriksson March 3, 2016

    How far does a full tank go, how much weight can it take?
    v/R Tor

  • Galactic Penguin SST December 5, 2016

    To all those above:
    “Please note: These helicopters cannot be exported outside Japan due to Japanese laws.”
    quote from the official website https://www.hirobo.co.jp/en/business/

    QED