{"id":337269,"date":"2017-03-31T15:05:47","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T07:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1471318"},"modified":"2017-03-31T15:05:47","modified_gmt":"2017-03-31T07:05:47","slug":"a-uk-entrepreneur-takes-flight-by-attaching-miniature-jet-engines-to-his-limbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/a-uk-entrepreneur-takes-flight-by-attaching-miniature-jet-engines-to-his-limbs\/","title":{"rendered":"A UK entrepreneur takes flight by attaching miniature jet engines to his limbs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/img_7372.jpg?w=738\" class=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A YouTube collection of grainy video clips highlights the progress Gravity founder Richard Browning has made toward his outlandish dream over the past year. Each seems more terrifying than the last, with multiple jet engines attached to his limbs in various configurations, as he hovers a few feet from the ground.<\/p>\n<p>The press material attached to the announcement heralds the oil trader turned entrepreneur as a real life Iron Man, but it\u2019s hard to shake the feeling that you\u2019re watching some sort of backyard mad scientist, a few moments away from the world\u2019s most dangerous Jack Ass stunt. Browning acknowledges how downright alarming the footage of the Daedelus rig appears, but shakes off any notion that he\u2019s actually in danger at any point during the three-and-a-half minute package.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube c5\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player c4\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iZ05iAuIAlc?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can just strap this thing on and go flying at a moment\u2019s notice,\u201d he told TechCrunch in a phone interview this week. \u201cIt\u2019s less dangerous than riding a sports bike through the countryside.\u201d Browning rattles off a list of safety precautions with the excitement of a child attempting to convince a parent about the safety of some ill-advised new toy. He adds that he has yet to injure himself during operation.<\/p>\n<p>The top speed of the current configuration isn\u2019t any faster than a human running pace, Browning explains, and the aviation fuel was chosen specifically for its non-explosive qualities. The craft never hovers more than a few meters above the ground by design and there\u2019s an unfortunately named dead man\u2019s switch he has to keep pressed at all times to continue operation.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1471320\" src=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030410.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=768\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030410.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=768 1024w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030410.jpg?w=2048&#038;h=1536 2048w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030410.jpg?w=150&#038;h=113 150w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030410.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225 300w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030410.jpg?w=768&#038;h=576 768w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030410.jpg?w=680&#038;h=510 680w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I fell in some imaginably bad way and somehow burst my robust fuel system, I would just leak it very slowly on the floor,\u201d he explains. \u201cIf I spent a lot of effort trying to somehow ignite that and it finally caught fire, I\u2019ve got a fireproof suit underneath my kit and I\u2019m never more than 30 feet from two people with fire extinguishers. So actually, it\u2019s really quite lame in that sense, which was done deliberately. It\u2019s no way as dangerous or crazy as it looks.\u201c<\/p>\n<p>It is, however, quite the spectacle. Even in stealth mode, the company has managed to attract the interest of investors and partners like Red Bull, which has been documenting Browning\u2019s journey with far more stylized video of his early attempts. The rig\u2019s inventor insists that he never had commercial ambitions for the Daedelus, that the flight suit was only intended to answer the question of \u201cwhat if?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Browning funded the project himself for the first nine months of its gestation, taking it from his initial conception of a flapping drone \u2014 only to have his thunder stolen by similar ongoing research at Oxford University \u2014 to something more akin to its current configuration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe pivoted the idea,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe stuck with the idea of the human mind and body as being the core of it, but added in a little bit of horsepower. We played around with electric drone fans, but the power to weight ratio isn\u2019t there, so we went to gas turbines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In its near final form, the suit offers a new take on the traditional jet-pack idea, offering the user more degrees of control and a potentially more natural interface by transferring mobility to the limbs. Browning likens it to riding a bike. \u201cIf you let go,\u201d he says, \u201cyour brain does the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the rig\u2019s got plenty of trials ahead of it. And for the time being, the only application that Browning anticipates for the Daedelus is sheer visual spectacle. Recreation use could be somewhere down the line for thrill seekers with $200,000 to burn on a suit. And maybe somewhere off in the distance, it has the potential to help EVAC teams navigate difficult to reach locales. For now, however, it\u2019s just about the show.<\/p>\n<p>And as for the name, Browning admits that \u201cDaedelus\u201d can use a bit of work, both with regards to its unpronouncability and the popular Greek myth tied to the name. \u201cI\u2019m going to blame my eight-year-old [son],\u201d says Browning. Most of the Greek heroes have something lurking in the closet. But Daedelus, so my son tells me, was a renowned craftsman and innovator.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1471321\" src=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030408.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=768\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030408.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=768 1024w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030408.jpg?w=2048&#038;h=1536 2048w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030408.jpg?w=150&#038;h=112 150w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030408.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225 300w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030408.jpg?w=768&#038;h=576 768w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/p1030408.jpg?w=680&#038;h=510 680w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>But Daedelus\u2019 best known story involves letting his son Icarus fly too close to the sun. It\u2019s a tough metaphor to shake off for an inventor who is strapping a bunch of jet engines to his limbs. But Browning is unperturbed. Sure, the company is planning to give the next model a more straightforward title, but the entrepreneur laughs off the Icarus comparisons. In fact, he\u2019s even working on a miniature version for his kids that trades the jet engines for something less aggressive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re messing around and seeing if we can adapt a couple of drone fans,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re going to mock up something for my boys, so they\u2019ve got a sort of quiet, cold version of the same thing that they can leap around with.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"510\" src=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/img_7372.jpg?w=680\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/img_7372.jpg?w=680 680w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/img_7372.jpg?w=1360 1360w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/img_7372.jpg?w=150 150w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/img_7372.jpg?w=300 300w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/img_7372.jpg?w=768 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/>&nbsp;A YouTube collection of grainy video clips highlights the progress Gravity founder Richard Browning has made toward his outlandish dream over the past year. Each seems more terrifying than the last, with multiple jet engines attached to his limbs in various configurations, as he hovers a few feet from the ground. <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2017\/03\/31\/a-uk-entrepreneur-is-takes-flight-by-attaching-miniature-jet-engines-to-his-limbs\/?ncid=rss\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=dGFEyKIuNzo:mrHK0CwopUE:2mJPEYqXBVI\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=2mJPEYqXBVI\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=dGFEyKIuNzo:mrHK0CwopUE:7Q72WNTAKBA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=7Q72WNTAKBA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=dGFEyKIuNzo:mrHK0CwopUE:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=dGFEyKIuNzo:mrHK0CwopUE:-BTjWOF_DHI\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?i=dGFEyKIuNzo:mrHK0CwopUE:-BTjWOF_DHI\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=dGFEyKIuNzo:mrHK0CwopUE:D7DqB2pKExk\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?i=dGFEyKIuNzo:mrHK0CwopUE:D7DqB2pKExk\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=dGFEyKIuNzo:mrHK0CwopUE:qj6IDK7rITs\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=qj6IDK7rITs\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/Techcrunch\/~4\/dGFEyKIuNzo\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"\/> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5817,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[59,66,26],"class_list":["post-337269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology","tag-media","tag-techcrunch","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5817"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337269\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}