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The Aerobie is a ring-shaped toy invented by Alan Adler in 1984. It is designed for faster and farther flights than Frisbees, with soft rubber bumpers and a spoiler for aerodynamic stability. The Aerobie has been used for various recreational games and has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest throw of an object without any speed assist feature. However, it has its flaws, such as the inability to hover and the difficulty of throwing at a high angle. The Aerobie is also the name of the company founded by Adler, which has produced other inventions such as the Aeropress.
An Aerobie is a ring-shaped toy to throw from one person to another. In this respect, it is similar to a Frisbee, although the latter is designed as a disk, not a ring. The toy consists of a polycarbonate core with soft rubber bumpers lining its inner and outer edges, as well as a spoiler on its outer edge for increased aerodynamic stability.
Alan Adler, a professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University, invented the Aerobie. Adler had thought about improving the performance of flying discs like the Frisbee since the 1970s. He eventually abandoned the disc shape for the ring design to reduce drag, resulting in the Aerobie’s predecessor, the Skyro. A few more years of development finally produced the Aerobie in 1984. With an added spoiler, the toy was able to travel at faster speeds with relative stability.
Adler’s creation can be bent to achieve straight-line flight. The ring can also fly in a curve by being thrown at an incline. Regarding lift, throwing the Aerobie into the wind makes it fly higher, while throwing it into the wind lowers it.
Over the years, people have used the Aerobie as exercise equipment, making it the centerpiece of various recreational games. One of them, Aerosticks, involves catching the thrown ring with sticks. Another, Aerogoal, is based on the characteristics and principles of football.
The Aerobie’s ability to fly faster and farther than Frisbees has allowed it to set unprecedented achievements. His prototype, the Skyro, could reach 856 feet (about 261 m). However, on July 14, 2003, the Aerobie broke the Guinness World Record for the “longest throw of an object without any speed assist feature”, when Erin Hemmings threw a refined version of the ring called the Aerobie Pro a distance of 1,333 feet (about 406 m).
Despite its advantages, the Aerobie also has its flaws. For starters, it can’t hover and will lose speed if thrown at a high angle. Also, since it travels longer distances than Frisbees, it’s much easier to miss.
Aerobie is also the name of the company that Adler founded with the invention of the toy itself. Originally known as Superflight, Inc., Alder later changed it to Aerobie, Inc. Since then, the company has spawned more of Adler’s inventions. Perhaps the most popular after the flying ring is the Aeropress, a coffee brewing device that Adler invented in 2005.
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