Sandrine Ceurstemont, video producer
Countless James Bond fans have dreamed of flying with a jetpack. But one of them - Canadian inventor Raymond Li - has now turned the idea into reality. His JetLev device, which will go on sale in the US in March 2011, is propelled by water jets and allows you to soar up to 10 metres above water at a maximum speed of 35 kilometres per hour (see video above).
It's the result of a decade of hard work and following a dream that most engineers thought was impossible. "No one had done anything like it before," says Li. "Almost everyone thought I was crazy. It was hard to get quotations for prototype fabrication, raising capital, finding development partners and suitable venues to do the testing."
Li's design was initially guided by a safety analysis but soon he was also aiming to keep the jetpack lightweight. By placing the engine and fuel in a separate vessel on the water, he achieved a thrust-to-weight ratio three times greater than the most powerful fighter jets. A hose transports water to the jetpack at low pressure and by using hand controls, a person can thrust themselves into the air by shooting water out of two nozzles. "It's the same reaction force a firefighter experiences when he points a water jet at a fire," says Li.
When airborne, the pilot with jetpack becomes weightless due to a combination of forces. Some testers have compared the smoothness of the experience to what they imagine a magic carpet ride would feel like. Since water is virtually incompressible, tiny adjustments to the pressure with the hand controls are felt instantly and allow the pilot to move or turn precisely.
Initially, the jetpack is expected to be snapped up for recreational use, by resorts, rental agencies or anyone with $99,500 (£62,620) to spare. But Li forsees many other applications. "It could be used for search and rescue, marine structure inspection and repair, lifesaving, firefighting and even peacekeeping," he says. In the meantime, you can catch the jetpack this week at Boot Dusseldorf, a yearly boat show in Germany where it was demonstrated for the first time in 2009. The German retail price for the jetpack is €129,000.
If you enjoyed this video, you might also like to see tiny flying robots building towers and walls.
Well, of course he should have called it the "Jet Li"!