Inventor Builds a Real-Life Flying Iron Man Suit That Uses Miniature Jet Engines Attached to His Limbs

Wiltshire, England ex-Royal Marine reservist and inventor Richard Browning and his team at the technology start-up, Gravity Industries, have created the Daedalus, a real-life flying Iron Man suit that Browning is able to control by attaching miniature jet engines to his limbs. According to Wired UK, Richard’s suit “can travel at a speed of up to 279 miles an hour, although Browning hasn’t tested it to anywhere near full capacity.”

To hover, Browning starts his engines before directing his movement with small, precise shifts of his body. The two turbines on his back are splayed out to provide balance; the two on each arm angle forward. Pointing down creates what Browning calls “a teepee of thrust vectors,” pushing him away from the ground. Shifting his arms back sends him forward; flaring his arms out pushes him down. If he wants more speed, he pulls his arms in and pushes his chest out. (read more)

A post shared by Gravity (@takeongravity) on Mar 30, 2017 at 11:39pm PDT

Gravity co-founder Richard Browning in early stage flight practice… #takeongravity pic.twitter.com/8sjgyXeaZQ

— Gravity (@takeonGravity) March 31, 2017