Browning, a previous marine reservist who runs ultra-marathons and performs
calisthenics stunts, said that managing the system takes a considerable amount
of personal strength and body coordination. Further, there is no steering in the
device. The speed and direction can be adjusted just by altering the direction
of the motors' thrust.
"You have a trigger at your right hand, which controls the arm engines, and you
have a trigger at your left hand, which controls the rear engines," said
Browning. "You preset the power levels. Your arms are held out, and as you
then line them up vertically and direct them towards the ground, all the thrust
vectors [thrust vector is the direction in which the engine produces force] start
lining up and you achieve lift-off. When you want to go down, you flail your
arms again."
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Browning established his company which is called Gravity in order to improve
his technology. He can stay in the air up to 10 minutes using his exosuit. He
predicts the capability of his device to fly more than 100 km/h and to an
altitude of 100 meters and this what he will work on to improve the
performance of the suit.
"There is also some parallel development going on with airbag technology and
parachute technology to enhance safety and allow us to fly higher — for
example, above water," he added. "The cost is about $250,000, so it's
something that you could buy instead of a Lamborghini," Browning said. "It's
not intended for the mass market at this stage."
Mohamed Mohamed