Rogue robot balloon '300 miles away'

The rogue balloon could be over the Netherlands

A giant robotic balloon which escaped from a science centre in South Yorkshire could be over 300 miles away, say weather forecasters.

Staff at the Magna Science Adventure Centre, in Rotherham, were forced to inform aviation authorities on Friday after the "flyborg" floated off into the sky as it was being moved.

The 13-feet long airship can expand to four times its usual size as it flies, and could travel for a week before it deflates.

Both Manchester and Sheffield airports were informed of its escape, but a spokesman for Manchester Meteorological office said the balloon could already be over the Netherlands.

Speaking to BBC News Online on Saturday he said: "Looking at the wind charts I expect it to have headed across East Anglia and the southern North Sea towards the Netherlands. It could be 300 miles away."

South Manchester and Sheffield airports said their operations had not been affected by the loose balloon, although Air Traffic Controllers at Manchester were "keeping an eye out for it."

Freak gust

The flyborg has a computerised "brain" which allows it to avoid obstacles.

Models of the Flyborg at the Magna Science Centre

A spokesman for Magna said: "Two technical staff were moving a flyborg - an artificially intelligent flying robot airship filled with conventional party-balloon gas - into the main Magna building.

"The airships, constructed of lightweight polymer film, were tethered all the time to the people moving them, but they had to be untethered to take the flyborg through the visitor attraction's entrance doors.

"The two technicians held on to the airship's gondola, but were surprised by a very strong freak gust of wind which ripped the airship out of their hands and sucked it up into the air, leaving them holding the gondola."

The airship, which is valued at £15,000, was designed by Professor Noel Sharkey, a BBC Robot Wars judge, and his team at the Creative Robotics Unit at Magna for indoor flying robot exhibitions.

Staff have offered a reward for its recovery.