Light Electric Rotorcraft

Here is yet another interesting design from that same website:

http://www.gizmag.com/go/3107/

I wonder if this could be converted into a gyroplane? Here's how I
imagine it.

sorry, my ascii art isn't good enough to reproduce the chassis, so I
just drew the tires (which of course have the electric wheelmotors in
them):


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( o----------------+ ========

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Note that the "o-------------+" is supposed to be the rotor mast folded
back along the longitudinal axis of the craft. Okay, I guess that would
require the craft to have some kind of upper fuselage canopy for the
mast to attach to. The "o" is the base of the mast which attaches to
the upper fuselage canopy, while the "+" is where the rotor head would
be.
But the rotor mast wouldn't have to be very long, since it doesn't need
much height for its rotors to clear the rest of the craft. The rotors
themselves would be bent forward in V-shape from the rotorhead, with
their tips clipped to the sides of the fuselage/chassis.

So the wheelmotors roll the craft along the ground until it picks up
lots of speed. Then the rotor mast pops upright, the rotors are freed
and start spinning overhead. The craft then takes off like a gyroplane,
and once airborn the front tires swivel to face frontwards to act as
fan-props:

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( + =======


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Heh, very James Bond-ish, huh? ;P