This isn’t exactly ‘movie news’ per se, but every once in a while we post about something here on AICN which is inescapably and undoubtedly ‘Geeky‘ all the same. As this tangentially relates (hehehe - he said ‘tan genitals’) to titles like THE ROCKETEER...
...James Bond...
...the 70s television series ARK II...
...and COMMANDO CODY back in the 1950s...
(4:55)
..and an array of other examples (Boba Fett?)...it seemed fitting to bring it up here.
A developer in New Zealand has received permits which will allow the entity to test fly...JET PACKS. You can find video of the device and learn more about it HERE.
Not the world’s sexiest machine (perhaps The Powers That Be will think to consult magazine covers like this one before pushing their product to far into the market?)...
...although I’m wondering if its comparative inelegance may be in some part dictated by practical and engineering necessities.
I also note that the jet pack in the video...lands with a parachute instead of coming down to the ground like, say, that dude in ARK II. My six year old would probably love this - but this feature may be a tad dissuasive to many buyers, or anyone with their head screwed on right. Presumably that’s just a demonstration reel anyway.
With a price point of $150K-$250K, it’s unlikely too many ‘Average Joes’ are going to hopping onto the jetback bandwagon anytime soon, although developers are quick to point out that simpler and less costly models are being targeted.
Will they ever become ‘mainstream’ instead of being regarded as some sort of fringe, JETSONS gag? If I had to bet, I’d say no - they’ll never grow to be anything more than a nifty, pricey boy-toy gimmick.
But it’s hard, if not impossible, for folks like us to ask ‘What if...?’ After all, as Red Foreman pointdd out so bittersweetly in THAT 70s SHOW, "They promised us jet packs..."
-------------------
Glen Oliver
"Merrick"
- Google +
