DIY hovercraft made of leaf blower & inflatable plastic bags levitates & glides off the ground

Japanese inventor Hideyasu Ito has created a DIY, tiny hovercraft made of leaf-blower motors and inflatable plastic bags that can levitate and glide easily off the ground. Looking at the design, the four plastic bags replace the common rotor position in eVTOLS and flying cars that inflate when the DIY hovercraft is being used and deflate afterward.

The skeletal frame is composed of a small cushioned seat; double-T poles to anchor the controls, wires, and mechanism of the air-cushioned vehicle; four steel-looking legs to help with the landing; and the four circular platforms where the leaf blower motors and seemingly small fans to bring in air are installed. Inspired by the design of motorcycles, the DIY hovercraft does resemble a fusion between a scooter and a spaceship, propelled by leaf-blower motors and supported by plastic bags.

Ito says this is his eighth prototype whose idea was planted in 2013. A decade and a series of prototypes later, the original idea he had in mind manifested into an air-cushioned vehicle that the public, should they want, can make themselves. His DIY hovercraft appeared at Maker Faire Tokyo 2022 for a public demo. He posted a clip of his test on Twitter, receiving views and appreciation from viewers across cities.

image screenshots courtesy of Hideyasu Ito

Hideyasu Ito, the director of his own Micro Hovercraft Laboratory, has toyed with other air-cushioned vehicles in the past. Using the same motors from leaf blowers, he also looked into employing electric fans to create versions of his DIY hovercraft. In the past, he has created a skateboard on top of the flying circular platform; a scooter with a boomerang design; and even a flying go-kart. These had been made and tested out over the years before he unveiled his recent one with the inflatable plastic bags and motorcycle-inspired design.

Since Ito is using the motors from the leaf blowers, the noise can get loud and disruptive. In his test videos, he wears headphones similar to safety ear muffs used on construction sites. The carrying load of the DIY hovercraft may also have its limits, given the design of the inflatable plastic bags and the skeletal steel-esque frame. On the upside, the vehicle can be made at home without materials and equipment found in the garage, toolshed, or for daily use, and the viewers may be able to come up with their own DIY flying craft tailored to their needs.

DIY hovercraft by Hideyasu Ito made of leaf blower & inflatable plastic bags can levitate

the DIY hovercraft appeared in Maker Faire Tokyo 2022

the leaf blower motors seem to inflate the plastic bags using the installed small fans

the double-T poles to anchor the controls, wires, and mechanism of the air-cushioned vehicle

the design is inspired by motorcycles