4 ms·

I really don't get some people's obsession with jetpacks. Is it just because they look cool?

by matthewfelgate 4y ago

permo-w 4y ago
what is it that jetpacks allow you to do?
- Ekaros 4y ago
  Jetpack could allow person to kill themselves by going up and crashing down or to some other object?
- tudorw 4y ago
  'Gravity' is testing their use in search and rescue on a mountain, pretty cool.
- davidrupp 4y ago
  Ideally: Travel point-to-point, rather than constrained by roads, turns, intersections, all competing with similarly-constrained traffic. Congestion en route would largely go away (although we would probably adopt "lanes" of travel analogous to what the airlines use) and would be replaced by congestion at popular destinations (again, much like the busiest hub airports). I think a more feasible variant of this is a small platform on which the pilot would stand or sit, or from which s/he would hang, lifted and driven by the equivalent of multiple battery-powered drones.
- HappySweeney 4y ago
  Flying around like Superman is all the reason I need.
- bpicolo 4y ago
  Fly
- CodeAndCuffs 4y ago
  The biggest utility I can see would be some already proposed with prototypes. I.e. military boarding a boat, and high angle search and rescue. We've seen tech demos for both. I have no expertise in mountain climbing or EMS, so I can't speak for how far off we are from that being practical or useful. For things like boat boardings, it seems like it could (eventually) be the best solution to an awful situation. If bad guys with guns are on a boat and you need to get on said boat (whether to repossess the boat, or save people on the boat) boarding it is a tactical nightmare. Your options are basically: 1. Ride a small boat up to it, hope they don't see you, and climb into bad guy boat. If the bad guys did see you and start shooting you, hopefully your friends from another boat or helicopter can shoot them first. 2. Fly a noisy helicopter above said bad guy boat and fast rope down, hoping they don't shoot you or the helicopter before you get into a fighting position 3. I dont know, maybe parachute onto it? Options 1 and 2 are outside of, but adjacent to, my expertise. This is a whole other level. The military has proposed, tried, and done crazier things though. Option 4, Jetpacks, would be nice. To be able to go from good guy boat to bad guy boat within like, 30 seconds, is still a rough approach but probably the least awful. Fortunately, for society (unfortunately for the Jetpack industry) maritime hostage rescue is a pretty small market surface
dsomers 4y ago
Come on, I 100% realize that jetpacks will probably always be impractical/unsafe. Although, I think there’s a lot of allure in the same way that there is for motorcycles. I imagine you would get this sense of free flying, like a bird — it just seems fun. And if we somehow magically engineered past the energy and safety problems, you’d have mobility like a helicopter, but without needing the helicopter pad in cities. Like how scooters and motorcycles can be more convenient in cities because they’re easier to park. Dream a little, it’s fun.
- BartjeD 4y ago
  Jetpacks are unsafe when users can manipulate them and potentially crash them, or ignore safety warnings etc.. It's a lot safer if they are flown by AI. Possibly only reverting to manual control in an emergency and then only for a controlled AI assisted landing. For example. That could prevent the scenario where terrorist with TNT strapped to his belt flies into a buildng. On the other hand: People could still muck with the hardware and the software. Just making it more difficult doesn't rule it out.
  - JumpinJack_Cash 4y ago
    > > It's a lot safer if they are flown by AI It would completely defy its purpose . It looks like Level 4/5 automation will never be achieved for cars , the good thing about that is not having to deal with the psychological problems that come with it. Cars, bikes, motorbikes, boats,jetskis….and jetpacks. People love them because it makes them feel in control as they are the ones at the wheel
    - drpyser22 4y ago
      Never? That's such a defeatist/pessimistic take. Looks like its way more difficult than expected, sure. Looks like new breakthroughs will be needed maybe. Never seems unreasonable, in general and in specific.
      - JumpinJack_Cash 4y ago
VoodooJuJu 4y ago
If I had more time and money than I knew what to do with, and there are a lot of people in this class these days, I would be quite interested in obtaining a jetpack.
anta40 4y ago
To move from point A to point B quickly without having to face traffic jam, for example. And obviously, being able to fly is super cool.

I really don't get some people's obsession with jetpacks. Is it just because they look cool?

permo-w 4y ago

what is it that jetpacks allow you to do?

Ekaros 4y ago
Jetpack could allow person to kill themselves by going up and crashing down or to some other object?
tudorw 4y ago
'Gravity' is testing their use in search and rescue on a mountain, pretty cool.
davidrupp 4y ago
Ideally: Travel point-to-point, rather than constrained by roads, turns, intersections, all competing with similarly-constrained traffic. Congestion en route would largely go away (although we would probably adopt "lanes" of travel analogous to what the airlines use) and would be replaced by congestion at popular destinations (again, much like the busiest hub airports). I think a more feasible variant of this is a small platform on which the pilot would stand or sit, or from which s/he would hang, lifted and driven by the equivalent of multiple battery-powered drones.
HappySweeney 4y ago
Flying around like Superman is all the reason I need.
bpicolo 4y ago
Fly
CodeAndCuffs 4y ago
The biggest utility I can see would be some already proposed with prototypes. I.e. military boarding a boat, and high angle search and rescue. We've seen tech demos for both. I have no expertise in mountain climbing or EMS, so I can't speak for how far off we are from that being practical or useful. For things like boat boardings, it seems like it could (eventually) be the best solution to an awful situation. If bad guys with guns are on a boat and you need to get on said boat (whether to repossess the boat, or save people on the boat) boarding it is a tactical nightmare. Your options are basically: 1. Ride a small boat up to it, hope they don't see you, and climb into bad guy boat. If the bad guys did see you and start shooting you, hopefully your friends from another boat or helicopter can shoot them first. 2. Fly a noisy helicopter above said bad guy boat and fast rope down, hoping they don't shoot you or the helicopter before you get into a fighting position 3. I dont know, maybe parachute onto it? Options 1 and 2 are outside of, but adjacent to, my expertise. This is a whole other level. The military has proposed, tried, and done crazier things though. Option 4, Jetpacks, would be nice. To be able to go from good guy boat to bad guy boat within like, 30 seconds, is still a rough approach but probably the least awful. Fortunately, for society (unfortunately for the Jetpack industry) maritime hostage rescue is a pretty small market surface

dsomers 4y ago

Come on, I 100% realize that jetpacks will probably always be impractical/unsafe. Although, I think there’s a lot of allure in the same way that there is for motorcycles. I imagine you would get this sense of free flying, like a bird — it just seems fun. And if we somehow magically engineered past the energy and safety problems, you’d have mobility like a helicopter, but without needing the helicopter pad in cities. Like how scooters and motorcycles can be more convenient in cities because they’re easier to park. Dream a little, it’s fun.

BartjeD 4y ago
Jetpacks are unsafe when users can manipulate them and potentially crash them, or ignore safety warnings etc.. It's a lot safer if they are flown by AI. Possibly only reverting to manual control in an emergency and then only for a controlled AI assisted landing. For example. That could prevent the scenario where terrorist with TNT strapped to his belt flies into a buildng. On the other hand: People could still muck with the hardware and the software. Just making it more difficult doesn't rule it out.
- JumpinJack_Cash 4y ago
  > > It's a lot safer if they are flown by AI It would completely defy its purpose . It looks like Level 4/5 automation will never be achieved for cars , the good thing about that is not having to deal with the psychological problems that come with it. Cars, bikes, motorbikes, boats,jetskis….and jetpacks. People love them because it makes them feel in control as they are the ones at the wheel
  - drpyser22 4y ago
    Never? That's such a defeatist/pessimistic take. Looks like its way more difficult than expected, sure. Looks like new breakthroughs will be needed maybe. Never seems unreasonable, in general and in specific.
    - JumpinJack_Cash 4y ago

VoodooJuJu 4y ago

If I had more time and money than I knew what to do with, and there are a lot of people in this class these days, I would be quite interested in obtaining a jetpack.

anta40 4y ago

To move from point A to point B quickly without having to face traffic jam, for example. And obviously, being able to fly is super cool.