What is Digg?88 Comments
- skelliewag, on 08/18/2008, -6/+56Oooh... heights of up to 6ft! I can imagine the slogan now: "Short people: get even. And possibly explode."
- inactive, on 08/18/2008, -0/+39They make 'widow maker' sound like a bad thing
when, in reality, it's actually a pretty kickass name.
"I'll be there in an hour"
"how are you getting here?"
"the widow maker" - nogoodusername, on 08/18/2008, -0/+21im still waiting for an REAL jetpack.
- tidu, on 08/19/2008, -0/+19must be hard getting people to take your project seriously when it's called Balls 17
- NegativeDigg, on 08/19/2008, -0/+14It was named Balls 17 after castrating 8 1/2 men, the last one got lucky with only one testicle left.
- inactive, on 08/18/2008, -0/+13The h202 guys calling the ducted fan model dangerous is definitely the pot calling the kettle black. With a flight time of 30 seconds, one could argue you're cheating death every time you fly the h202 jetpacks, only requiring a small error to result in hitting the ground at 70mph from falling. The ducted fan version isn't exactly the pinnacle of reliability either. With the small rotors in the fans and no collective, you'd be SOL if the motor failed.
The autogyro remains the king of "personal air transportation" - being safe/reliable, cheap, and easy to operate in small areas. - buzzd1ggity, on 08/18/2008, -1/+13I want one of these immediately. Nothing like a jetpack
- Tomboys, on 08/19/2008, -0/+10Where are girls supposed to put their purses and cell phone?
- bixby1, on 08/19/2008, -1/+11I don't wanna ride anything called a widowmaker. I want my wife to ride such things.
- MacSuxWindozSux, on 08/19/2008, -0/+10Wasn't this in a James Bond film 50 or so years ago?
http://www.streettech.com/storypics/photo4.jpg - Falldog, on 08/19/2008, -0/+9Only because the wife would pack up and leave between spending money on that and the embarrassment of trodding around town dressed that way.
- ozid, on 08/19/2008, -0/+9so many things wrong with that.
- inactive, on 08/19/2008, -1/+9That's what I call my Segway.
- redcolumbine, on 08/19/2008, -0/+8The danger isn't inherent in the device, but rather in the personality type it attracts.
- TommyGuns, on 08/18/2008, -2/+10Stanford University is currently testing many different rocket prototypes in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. ARLISS Project, AeroPac, XPRS and Balls 17 are all current research projects testing prototype rocket designs and payload delivery systems. With the innovations currently being made in various fields of science I think we are on the tip of the iceberg when it comes to jet pack technology. 5 years there will be a viable jet pack system created!
- Ransack, on 08/19/2008, -0/+8Finally i can get my revenge on Boba Fett!
- kratsnitram, on 08/19/2008, -0/+7Things I'm awaiting that I was promised whilst watching Johnny Quest as a child:
3. Jet Packs
2. Hover Bikes
1. Gay Dads! - enderschaos, on 08/19/2008, -0/+7Now I just need to get myself a golden helmet and call myself the rocketeer....
- antechinus, on 08/19/2008, -0/+7What the "Popular Mechanics" article failed to say was that the craft was deliberately held down by two assistants holding onto bars.
Typical US "not invented here syndrome". - anagoge, on 08/19/2008, -1/+7Widows Movie Maker?
- CrazyChair, on 08/19/2008, -0/+6My ears! The goggles do nothing!
- jggube, on 08/19/2008, -0/+5Still not as cool as The Rocketeer! :)
- inactive, on 08/19/2008, -0/+5There's actually competition in the jetpack manufacturing world? Well, there's my WTF for the day.
- ProfessorRiffs, on 08/19/2008, -0/+5Yes because hasn't-happened-yet ALWAYS equals will-never-happen.
- Danikar, on 08/19/2008, -0/+4Try it, make you the camera is rolling.
- jamaph, on 08/19/2008, -0/+45 years there will be a viable jet pack system?
buried - AnotherBrian, on 08/19/2008, -1/+5A helicopter's main rotor will generates ground effect, as will this device. However, it only works when the blades are about 1 blade length from the ground.
- norm7, on 08/19/2008, -0/+4widowmaker? More like divorce initiator.
- insanebrain, on 08/19/2008, -0/+40. Profit ?
- TVarmy, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3Don't digg him down, this is really funny!
- ASSASSYN360, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3A gyro is not needed. Sufficient weight of the operator and vectored thrusts is needed to maintain stability. However, an electric gyro could be used I suppose.
- inactive, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3You would be an hero!
- ASSASSYN360, on 08/19/2008, -1/+4"but a limited amount of lift, due to a phenomenon called "ground effect." Spinning blades can create a cushion of air below a vehicle, which is how hovercrafts glide across the water."
Ground effect is created when an aircraft with WINGS generates lift at half the span of the wing to the ground. Ground effect also occurs when an aircraft descends to the ground to abruptly resulting in difficulty transitioning to a flare. A brick with fans or rockets attached will NOT generate any ground effect. We in the aviation community call that thrusts! Insufficient thrusts means you won't do ***** but stay on earth or climb a few feet.
In an airplane thrust overcomes drag and lift overcomes gravity. In jet packs thrust overcomes gravity their are no wings to create lift obviously. Vectoring that thrusts allows for forward, side ways, and backwards movement. So ground effect has no effect without wings. The jet pack would need a skirt like a hovercraft to utilize a thrust generated ground effect. Do you see a skirt? I don't. - Rixar13, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3Never gonna happen as years have gone by without any progress at all. Fly a kite, better return on your money.
- ATLien74, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3That would be an awesome!
- inactive, on 08/19/2008, -0/+3That's right: It's nothing like a jetpack.
- prisoner24601, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2Why hasn't someone put just wings on a motorcycle? What about that guy who put a pulsejet on a bike? Why not add wings? Ride it on the street from your garage to a local airport and fly to your destination airport, then ride it on the street to your final stop.
- inactive, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2A widower-er?
- inactive, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2what is your point?
are you going to point out movie references on every science article?
Invisibility Cloak: "harry potter. seen it. old news" - TVarmy, on 08/19/2008, -1/+3Aren't we in a day and age where they should call it the Widow and/or Widower Maker?
- inactive, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2Calling this thing a "jetpack" is indeed total *****. Not only is it not a jet or rocket, but it's not a "pack". It's an entire frame with a pedestal.
- Rosco, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2Commando Cody and Rocket Men from The Moon!
- bradleyland, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2I'm still waiting for a jetpack that doesn't make you look like a complete smacktard when wearing it.
- bubba9999, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2Oh boy - I can't wait for this. I already hate douchebags who can't drive. I can't wait to deal with them flying around.
- jturbo, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2Well I truly hope 1. doesn't come true....Its one thing for a dad to cheat, but quite another when you learn he's the catcher....
- Cyberdactyl, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2We can dance around this all day, but the bottom line is; there needs to be a quantum jump in energy source concentration and release before these vehicles are feasible for more than just a crowd pleasing event.
- mrtherapist, on 11/28/2008, -0/+2At least with turbines it has the conservation of angular momentum going for it.
assuming both turbines spin in opposite directions, it could be stable.
if they had a vertical spinning internal gyroscope, I may believe it would work. - inactive, on 08/19/2008, -0/+2Thats what the safety goggles are for.
- AnotherBrian, on 08/21/2008, -0/+1@ fudged71
Ground effect happens because the air can't get out of the way when it's blocked by the ground. Basically the air 'gets bunched' up and becomes denser, thus the helicopter's doesn't need as much power to hover. This of course, only works if one of you engines stalls. Although, it might shave a couple Gs off an auto-rotate landing if both of them died.
This is also why they suck at high altitudes. The higher you go the thinner the air is. - protogenxl, on 08/19/2008, -0/+1No the Widowmaker is the Harrier Jump Jet
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