Professor Yan Lei with the School of Earth and Space Sciences of the elite Peking University said the flying saucer is actually an analogue simulation model widely used in fields such as telecommunications, meteorology and the earth monitoring.

The flying saucer is a five-pointed star shaped platform capable of adjusting itself in the atmosphere so that the amount of electricity generated by the solar panels attached to the top of the platform keeps rising.

The model, which is a blend of more than a score of inventions, is also capable of making vertical takeoffs and landings.

The 'flying saucer', developed by a team of scientists from Professor Yan's school and technological workers from two private technology companies in Beijing can also partly replace the functions of a satellite.

Because its flight altitude is lower than that of the satellite, it can outperform the satellite by providing better services such as shorter signal delays when applied in telecommunications, Yan claimed.

"Unlike conventional aircrafts which rely on high-speed movement for lifting force and the fuel-powered engine for dynamics, the newly-developed model employs propellers activated by machinery without bearings,"Yan said.

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