A flying car start-up backed by Google co-founder Larry Page has unveiled its first prototype vehicle and said it plans to launch a commercial version by the end of the year.

The Kitty Hawk Flyer, named after the company that created it, can fly over water and looks a bit like a flying jetski or single person hovercraft.

Kitty Hawk has maintained a high level of secrecy about the final vehicle, which it said will look different to the prototype. The recently revealed prototype runs on eight electrically-powered rotas and can take off and land vertically in a similar way to a helicopter.

It is not clear how the final version will differ from the prototype when it is unveiled later in the year, but Kitty Hawk's website indicates it might be able to fly over land.