Franky Zapata flew his invention, a turbine engine powered flyboard, above the Champs-Elysees showing off to President Emmanual Macon, Angela Merkel and other EU leaders to steal the show at the Bastille Day military parade in central Paris.
Zapata, who first developed his device flying above water, says that the flyboard has the power to take off and reach speeds up to 190 kilometres an hour (118 mph) and run for 10 minutes.
The flyboard is closer to the 'Goblin Glider' from Spider Man than Marty McFly's hoverboard in both appearance and performance.
Zapata who was awarded €1.3 million in 2018 to develop an 'aeronautical micro-jet engine' that could be used by the military pointedly held a rifle during the flight, highlighting the potential military uses of the technology.
He is currently eyeing making a crossing of the English channel, although this will require refuelling in flight. The target date is July 25, 110 years to the day after Louis Bleriot historically made the same flight for the first time in an airplane.
Previous Hoverboard Related Coverage
(Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Tuesday July 16 2019, @03:09AM (4 children)
I don't know man, he's armed and controls the airspace. Cops are definitely going to want these.
(Score: 2) by legont on Tuesday July 16 2019, @04:23AM (2 children)
Any current drone could be armed easily and provide similar capability while being way safer for the cop. Check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zN33m3Dq6Y [youtube.com]
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by loic on Tuesday July 16 2019, @06:01AM
I do totally agree that it sucks for war, any drone with computer-enhanced controls could perform better. But for state-police and crowd control stuff, it does makes sense if it is secure enough ; it is far more human-friendly. I do totally imagine french gendarmerie nationale (equivalent of US Marshall) or CRS (a division specialized crowd control) using such a device.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @09:34AM
You don't get it: This is a mobile individual infantry transportation unit, not an airborne weapons platform, although IMHO it should have a secondary purpose as an unmanned one.
So, basically, it is not for controlling an area with fire, it is about *seizing* it.
It will be used on tactical level to force obstacles, such as minefields, edges, thick vegetation, water, ... and may as well spur a greatest change in infantry tactics since introduction of of MGs. The only thing on the path to success is amount of skill needed to control it: this inventor is very experienced in balancing, but some average GI won't have as much training time. So, I guess a controlling computer will have to make things easier for them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @06:42AM
Pig-eon shooting!