Gadget Freak: Ruling The Skies And Seas With The Jet Pack

Since the dawn of time, man has always dreamed of flying. Whether was it by wings or superpowers, there’s no denying that being able to fly would be absolutely awesome.

Our technological advancement allowed us to build airplanes and helicopters, but that doesn’t quite cut it for most of us. Therefore, inspired by science fiction, we simply had to build a jetpack. And so we did.

A Hundred Years In The Making

The first-ever jetpack prototype came into existence in the 1960s, but the idea originated back from the early ‘20s.

There were many obstacles along the way and we still haven’t completely mastered it, but jetpacks are now a thing of reality and not just fantasy.

Russian inventor Aleksandr Fyodorovich Andreyev was the one who created the very first jetpack in 1919.

It was an oxygen-and-methane-powered pack that actually included wings for better steering and balance.

However, our air is of very low density for such a small device to propel a grown man into the air, which meant a different kind of fuel had to be used. This gave birth to hydrogen peroxide-powered jetpacks, which were first produced in 1956 by Justin Capră in Romania.

The Only Limit Is The Sky… Or The Sea

The next step in the evolution of the jetpack came in the form of the turbojet, which expelled atmospheric air to gain thrust. It’s harder and more expensive to build a turbojet, but they are more stable and sustainable in-flight.

Unfortunately, there is very little use of jetpack today, as the technology is still hasn’t reached a point where we can utilize the air we breathe as a means of single-person flight. However, there’s one thing that will keep us busy while we figure out how to create a proper jetpack.

That thing is called a hydro-jet pack. These devices actually use water as a propulsion fluid, which is much denser than air. A hydro-jet pack, however, needs a large mass of water to keep itself running, so the only place where you can use it is the sea.