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The Inquirer reports on a British inventor who has built a suit with six jets:
The Daedalus suit, designed by former royal marine reservist Richard Browning, looks like a comic book fans' dream, combining four miniaturised arm-mounted gas turbine engines and two hip-mounted versions to provide enough lift to enable the wearer to fly.
Daedalus, which took Browning a year to put together, also features a heads-up display in the helmet which keeps the user aware of fuel and engine performance and features built-in WiFi support to allow for the live transmission of data from the suit.
So far, Browning has only flown the suit a couple of metres above the ground, but he claims that the system will ultimately be able to fly at several hundred miles per hour and at thousands of feet.
Two YouTube videos that largely overlap in footage show the suit in use.
Additional coverage:
- Engadget
- New Atlas
- Slash Gear
- Wired UK (may have countermeasures against ad blockers)
- Red Bull
- independent.ie
Related story:
I Saw an Average Joe Fly a Jetpack and Nobody Died
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 06 2017, @06:51PM (18 children)
I mean, who hasn't thought of strapping model jet engines to one's arms and legs? The difference is that one usually realizes the container full of fuel might ignite, or the force might break an arm, or cause swift loss of control, etc. Therefore, it's just a daydream.
So, has this guy seen further than others, or is he just a "hold my beer while I do something cool" fool?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday April 06 2017, @07:08PM (1 child)
I'm waiting for the arc reactor to come out before I build my suit.
Nah, who am I kidding, aliens already gave that technology to the government and it will never be released because terrorists.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 06 2017, @07:14PM
When you can turn a glass of water into a matter conversion bomb that destroys half a continent, then yeah, probably don't want some of the more crazy humans getting any ideas.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday April 06 2017, @07:23PM (14 children)
Therefore, it's just a daydream.
So, has this guy seen further than others, or is he just a "hold my beer while I do something cool" fool?
Evidently you haven't watched the video. Dude can hover a few feet off the ground towards the end and wander around a bit at that "altitude."
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 06 2017, @07:32PM (13 children)
In contrast, you haven't understood my comment.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday April 06 2017, @07:37PM (12 children)
It would be easier if you would stop starting your post in the subject line.
And how can it be a daydream when he has a working, physical prototype?
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 06 2017, @08:45PM (3 children)
Unless he's got a ton of signal processing to maintain the unstable equilibrium of having a bunch of thrust mounted on his limbs, he doesn't really have a prototype.
Since the 2nd video has a bit about developing his core via calisthenics I suspect he has no computers of any significance taking care of stabilization.
He's just using his own brain and muscles to keep from immediately going titsup.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday April 06 2017, @09:42PM (1 child)
Unless he's got a ton of signal processing to maintain the unstable equilibrium of having a bunch of thrust mounted on his limbs, he doesn't really have a prototype.
Well that's a rather arbitrary definition that lets you dismiss the hard work he's done.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 06 2017, @11:02PM
Exactly what "hard work" has he done?
Because all it looks like to me is that he strapped a few off-the-shelf turbines on to his arms and his ass.
And then did a bunch of burpees.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 07 2017, @09:17AM
Unless he's got a ton of signal processing to maintain the unstable equilibrium of having a bunch of thrust mounted on his limbs, he doesn't really have a prototype. He's just using his own brain and muscles to keep from immediately going titsup.
So, just like a Harrier...
Everything doesn't need to have the computing power of an F35B.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 06 2017, @09:08PM (6 children)
As an "Anonymous" Coward, I don't get the benefit of having an artificially boosted rating.
Perhaps the commenting system should be changed; slashdot always sucked for discussion—reddit's system is much better.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 06 2017, @09:34PM
For those of us that browse at -1 and see everything, please consider repeating your "leading subject" line at the top of your actual post.
I rarely read the subject line until I get to the next thread.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 06 2017, @09:39PM
If you want to start your post in the subject line, be a decent guy and dupe that line in the body of the post so that people who don't focus on subject lines won't miss what you have to say. Of course if you don't actually want to communicate as effectively as possible then keep on doing what you are doing.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday April 06 2017, @09:40PM (3 children)
Perhaps you should just log in.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 07 2017, @06:37AM (2 children)
Why?
You are the one with the problem with his posts.
He's happy doing them his way.
Why should he do anything extra to accommodate you?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 07 2017, @12:29PM
Because if you're posting a comment, then the chances are that you want your comment to be read. Therefore, it should be desirable to post in a manner that makes it easy for the largest portion of the readership to see the comment.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday April 07 2017, @02:56PM
ACs not being as visible is a feature. Instead of complaining about it and making your comments more difficult to read, you could just make an account.
Posting AC in this context is a solution in search of a problem.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 07 2017, @12:26AM
"And how can it be a daydream when he has a working, physical prototype?"
Come on, man. You're not understanding; keep reading it until you understand.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 06 2017, @07:49PM
I posted about the design below -- it's actually a pretty good design for this sort of thing. (Bear in mind that these suits are always going to be impractical compared to backpack/belt rigs that allow you to scratch your nose without melting your face.)
However, the good parts of the design are evolution from an earlier design, having one jet in front of each forearm and one behind each calf. That design would require substantial torque in the elbow and knee joints, and belonged very much to the "hold my beer" class of designs, so I'm really not sure what to think. Maybe he started as a fool, but is learning without giving up?