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>> There's no "bicycle" of jetpacks Grab any drone with a 200kg capacity (they do exist), hang a lawn chair under it, and take to the sky. That's probably saf

>> There's no "bicycle" of jetpacks Grab any drone with a 200kg capacity (they do exist), hang a lawn chair under it, and take to the sky. That's probably safer. Jetpacks as a concept might get overtaken by the small helicopters we today call drones.

NeuNeurosis 5y ago
Funny you mention that. I just saw the below on reddit the other day. https://explorersweb.com/jetson-one-giant-passenger-drone/ https://explorersweb.com/jetson-one-giant-passenger-drone/
- echelon 5y ago
  Put a giant pre-inflated airbag around it and that might not be unreasonable.
- Animats 5y ago
  That's a nice piece of hardware. There are other big, people-carrying drones. eHang was probably the first, in 2016. They've actually sold a few. Price is above US$300K. They routinely fly above cities. Like everybody else, they're battery-limited. Their limit is about 30 minutes. All those un-shrouded spinning blades at low height are worrisome.
  - FabHK 5y ago
    eHang was not the first, but they do seem to have good marketing. German company Volocopter flew a manned demonstration rig in 2011 (the famous pilates ball [1]), and had the first manned flight of the Volocopter multicopter (certified, 18 rotors) in February 2016, with the CEO himself flying [2]. I don't know when the eHang 184 flew first (a video on youtube says Feb 2018 [3]). Personally, I find the design (with 8 rotors in a quadratic arrangement at knee-height, perfect for decapitating pedestrians) atrocious. (The Volocopter blades are above the cabin, as in a helicopter.) And where do you get the 30 minutes endurance for the eHang from? When I divide the range by the cruise speed from Wikipedia, I get about 8 minutes endurance. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L75ESD9PBOw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L75ESD9PBOw [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OazFiIhwAEs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OazFiIhwAEs [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr1V-r2YxME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr1V-r2YxME
ehnto 5y ago
But would you let a child operate the drone chair? I think you're right that drones would be some kind of safer, I think it's the more likely of the two technologies to work for personal aviation.
- sandworm101 5y ago
  If you want to get to work in the morning, then a drone full of autopilots and AI is the safe and reliable way to fly across the city. But for living the Ironman fantasy of sailing through windows then you'll need a jetpack with all the associated dangers.

NeuNeurosis 5y ago

Funny you mention that. I just saw the below on reddit the other day. https://explorersweb.com/jetson-one-giant-passenger-drone/ https://explorersweb.com/jetson-one-giant-passenger-drone/

echelon 5y ago
Put a giant pre-inflated airbag around it and that might not be unreasonable.
Animats 5y ago
That's a nice piece of hardware. There are other big, people-carrying drones. eHang was probably the first, in 2016. They've actually sold a few. Price is above US$300K. They routinely fly above cities. Like everybody else, they're battery-limited. Their limit is about 30 minutes. All those un-shrouded spinning blades at low height are worrisome.
- FabHK 5y ago
  eHang was not the first, but they do seem to have good marketing. German company Volocopter flew a manned demonstration rig in 2011 (the famous pilates ball [1]), and had the first manned flight of the Volocopter multicopter (certified, 18 rotors) in February 2016, with the CEO himself flying [2]. I don't know when the eHang 184 flew first (a video on youtube says Feb 2018 [3]). Personally, I find the design (with 8 rotors in a quadratic arrangement at knee-height, perfect for decapitating pedestrians) atrocious. (The Volocopter blades are above the cabin, as in a helicopter.) And where do you get the 30 minutes endurance for the eHang from? When I divide the range by the cruise speed from Wikipedia, I get about 8 minutes endurance. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L75ESD9PBOw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L75ESD9PBOw [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OazFiIhwAEs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OazFiIhwAEs [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr1V-r2YxME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr1V-r2YxME

ehnto 5y ago

But would you let a child operate the drone chair? I think you're right that drones would be some kind of safer, I think it's the more likely of the two technologies to work for personal aviation.

sandworm101 5y ago
If you want to get to work in the morning, then a drone full of autopilots and AI is the safe and reliable way to fly across the city. But for living the Ironman fantasy of sailing through windows then you'll need a jetpack with all the associated dangers.