Aerobie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An Aerobie is a flying ring used in a manner similar to a flying disc or Frisbee, for recreational catches between two or more individuals. The Aerobie differs from a flying disc in that as a ring it is hollow in the middle, whereas a disc is solid. An aerobie is also lighter, and is more stable in flight. Since it has much less drag and weighs less than a flying disc, it can be thrown several times farther than a flying disc.

It was used to achieve the Guinness World Record for the "longest throw of an object without any velocity-aiding feature". The record was originally set in 1986 and then broken in 2003 in San Francisco by Erin Hemmings. The 2003 record toss traveled 1,333 feet (406.3 metres) and the Aerobie was airborne for over 30 seconds.

Designed in 1984 by Stanford engineering lecturer Alan Adler, the Aerobie has a polycarbonate core with soft rubber molded onto the inner and outer rims. The inner rim has a spoiler designed to impart stability.

Other Aerobie models include a triangular boomerang, disc golf discs, and smaller discs marketed at children and dog owners.

[edit] See also

• Flying disc
• Chakram
• Disc Golf

[edit] External links and references

• Official website
• Paper authored by the inventor Alan Adler, explaining the design considerations.
• U.S. Patent 4,560,358  by Alan Adler, filed May 10, 1984, issued December 24, 1985.
• Youtube Video Video of Aerobie products in action, including throwing one of the rings out of the Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, and the demonstration of the Aerobie Orbiter