A British entrepreneur has built his very own ‘Iron Man’ suit and guess what, it actually works.
Richard M. Browning, an ex-Royal Marine Reservist now founder of the startup Gravity Industries, finally lifted the lid on his first prototype of his flying suit technology.
The video showcases his 12-month journey from the drawing board to the first ‘Daedalus’ prototype suit that will be used as a benchmark for future versions.
The system is patented so Browning is keeping relatively quiet on the specifics of how it works but what we do know is that thrust comes from six body-mounted jet engines similar to those found in high-end model aircraft.
Two are mounting on the lower back providing base levels of thrust, while four wrist mounted jets enable the suit wearer to direct themselves, increase speed and brake.
Browning’s creation isn’t just a hobby, in creating Gravity Industries the inventor hopes to kickstart a new form of personal flight.
“Daedalus is simply the beginning of a core technology that has endless potential in aviation, commercial and entertainment applications.” explains Browning.
To help further this vision Browning and his company will launch a series A investment round in 2017 to gauge interest and help propel the company to its next, more advanced prototype.
While Browning certainly isn’t the first person to try and create something like this his prototype is definitely one of the closest we’ve seen to an ‘Iron Man’ style body suit.