Jet Packs! Now All We Need Are Armies of Killer Robots!

[Tuckerfan]

Welcome to the 21st Century!

Who doesn’t want to fly like a bird in open air, with nothing but wings and a jet on your back? A few—like Swiss pilot Yves Rossy (see video below), whose self-designed rigid wing comes complete with jet engines—have succeeded, at least after a plane gets them up to the proper altitude. Now German researchers at ESG Elektroniksystem and Drager Aerospace are working on the jet-pack fantasy with the military in mind. They are developing a high-tech rigid wing with jet pack, the Gryphon, for the ultimate sneak attack: paratroopers with the maneuverability of a fighter plane.

Although the Gryphon is conceived as an improvement over the military parachute, its designers also have an eye on the extreme sports market—and a computerized steering control system might be just what would-be jet packers need. For now, though, if you want to fly like a bird—complete with climbing, swooping, and diving—you’d better be either a German paratrooper or a daredevil inventor with skills to spare.

W00t!

[Xema]

Here’s a guy doing the same sort of thing without rigid wings. Not yet ready for prime time (but ya gotta love those fuel tanks).

[JustAnotherGeek]

Swah-weeeeeeet!