Behold: The Water-Powered Jetpack | Hacker News Reader

Behold: The Water-Powered Jetpack

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46 pointshimaniamoli16 comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4xb1NXvE_w <- this link shows of the jetpack including a demo of a 'shark-attack' maneuver, as well as gratuitous girls in bikinis.

Yeah, but I found it a bit disappointing that those girls actually don't fly the jetlev. Maybe it requires an enormous amount of muscle power?

It's a real-life version of FLUDD from Super Mario Sunshine!

Last summer, I met the guy who does the R&D on these. Is that the coolest job ever, or what?

Without taking anything from Raymond Li, who did something awesome, is this really a brand new thing, as the article seems to say? I think I remember seeing water-powered jetpacks on TV (Discovery, I think) years back. Does anyone remember any previous attempts on devices like that?

Well reddit had a link to this same jetpack 2 years back. I think the news part is that it's about to launch commercially so you can actually buy one.

The hose seems to act as a kite's tail, providing stability.

It is cool, but I wonder if the 'tail' reduces the feeling of free flight. It certainly tethers you, restricting your range. Could this be useful for work on oil spills? Marine biology? Coast guard?

Any one else notice the motor/pump trailer spewing white smoke? I assume it's a souped-up reorganized pwc, with a 2-stroke engine?

Clever hack, though.

Yep, it looks like it's on some kind of buoy and you just sort of lug it around. It looks very fun. Although, I don't know why an engine, a hose and a nozzle cost 136k. I guess R&D, so I expect the price to drop to $500 eventually?

I'm sure the price will drop if they catch on but, assuming it's basically a hacked jet-ski with a hose & harness attached to it, they still won't be cheap. A jet ski can set you back anywhere from $10k - $50k around here, so it's still a luxury item for most.

Ah. The engine is from a jet ski, you mean? You might not be able to buy one for cheap, but you will be able to rent one for $20, so it's still good.

6k for the machine, 130k for the manufacturer's liability insurance.

If you really want to be depressed, look into what those $400 fiberglass ladders at Home Depot actually cost to produce.

Looks like a fun toy, but not a practical mode of transportation. Might as well just use a jet ski.

So long as it's marketed as a fun toy and not a practical transport there's nothing wrong with that.

Recreation is full of inefficent ways of doing things just because they are fun.

I wonder how much noise it makes.

I want that REALLY HARD!

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