Boeing Will Pay You $2 Million to Build a Functional Jetpack

[Megalith]

Remember when you were a child and wanted to fly? Boeing is going to make that dream a reality – by making someone else do the work. The company has set up a $2,000,000 challenge for the creation of a personal flying device that is safe, useful, and thrilling. How about this?

Today we look to the sky and say “that plane is flying.” We challenge you to create a device where we look to the sky and say, “that person is flying.” The device is for a single person, but what it looks like or how it works is up to you. We welcome revolutionary design, and while all devices must be able to fly a person, you have the option to use a mannequin to simulate the user and can operate the device as a remotely piloted or autonomous UAV. The device should function safely in both crowded cities and rural areas.

 

[Derangel]

Only$ 2 million? If someone is able to make something that fits that bill they could probably make a hell of a lot more than $2 million.

 

[Romale23]

Only$ 2 million? If someone is able to make something that fits that bill they could probably make a hell of a lot more than $2 million.

You get to keep everything but limited media rights (so they can use it in their media)

 

[Ur_Mom]

Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave. With a box of scraps!

 

[Paladin21]

Ah, I see from looking at it that it isn't just Boeing. They're the main sponsor, so they get top billing. This is basically an X-Prize for a jetpack instead of rockets. They're hoping to spur people on to build cool stuff that might help everyone out, not outsourcing product development (though I assume they'd probably be happy to buy up any developed IP that was actually practical).

 

[Ur_Mom]

Ah, I see from looking at it that it isn't just Boeing. They're the main sponsor, so they get top billing. This is basically an X-Prize for a jetpack instead of rockets. They're hoping to spur people on to build cool stuff that might help everyone out, not outsourcing product development (though I assume they'd probably be happy to buy up any developed IP that was actually practical).

That sounds better. Get people to develop it, not to develop it for Boeing.

Of course, if you worked for Boeing, I assume you'd just get your normal wages and not the additional 2 mill.

This would be cool, but can you imagine the regulations that go with it? We have a bad enough time with quad-copters. People will abuse the shit out of them first thing out the door.

 

[Riouken]

This is stupid, there is a company already with one, they are supposed to be selling them by 2020, you can already hire them to do special projects.

http://www.jetpackaviation.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_pack#Bell_Jet_Flying_Belt:_wingless

Versions other than the one everyone thinks of from 007. Ie... one that flies longer than 20 seconds have been around since the 60s. But the problem is the same reason the military quit developing them, and why most of the demos you see today are over water. They are super dangerous. If you have an engine failure(Or critical malfunction) over land you are likely going to die.

 

[Paladin21]

I wonder if homeowners insurance covers roof damage from drunk people with jetpacks crashing? Is it more like hail or an act of god? Lol. I can only imagine how many people would end up getting killed by something like that. Testosterone-induced teen accidents in cars are one thing, crashes from these things could be much, much worse to name one example.

 

[Romale23]

I wonder if homeowners insurance covers roof damage from drunk people with jetpacks crashing? Is it more like hail or an act of god? Lol. I can only imagine how many people would end up getting killed by something like that. Testosterone-induced teen accidents in cars are one thing, crashes from these things could be much, much worse to name one example.

Mine would but i can't speak for everyone.

 

[sfsuphysics]

You get to keep everything but limited media rights (so they can use it in their media)

Yeah think of it like the X-Prize.

 

[DeathFromBelow]

This gives Boeing more time to work on other important projects like helicopter ejection seats and screen doors for submarines.

 

[Paladin21]

This gives Boeing more time to work on other important projects like helicopter ejection seats and screen doors for submarines.

It's all cost-plus, thanks DoD!

 

[NeghVar]

It's already difficult for some people to travel in 2 dimensions. We don't need to add the third to the general public.

 

[oldmanbal]

The only way it would be safe is if gravity were to be taken out of the equation.

 

[Spidey329]

Only$ 2 million? If someone is able to make something that fits that bill they could probably make a hell of a lot more than $2 million.

That's the point. I see a lot of these engineering challenge competition's now. Large companies put up a big reward for the winner, but they get the design rights to all entries (in the fine print, usually). The potential patent rights alone are worth more than $2mil. They do this because it's far cheaper to get outside-the-box thinkers to do the work for you than it is to try and get your own R&D team behind a project where many of your in-house engineers won't be as passionate about it.

It's even done in the ML/QuantA space. The people entering don't realize they're possibly selling a $100mil invention for pennies on the dollar.

 

[nightfly]

Acme's way ahead of them....

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I am envisioning total nutjobs strapping themselves to rockets and dying in spectacular fashion in pursuit of this prize

 

[Deleted member 245375]

Next up: pharmaceutical companies start offering big huge lumps of cash for anyone that can create a new Viagra-like drug..." and so on and so forth.

We should just refer to such offers from big companies and firms as "The Darwin Scholarships" because that's for damned sure what it'll turn out to be, seriously.

 

[Youn]

This seems functional enough...

 

[[21CW]killerofall]

I am envisioning total nutjobs strapping themselves to rockets and dying in spectacular fashion in pursuit of this prize

As long as they record video of their death, it is a win win for everyone .

 

[Damar]

 

[cbutters]

I kinda want to say that this is a bit of a farce.... I don't think you can create a safe personal flying device for use in crowded areas around the general public... too many variables to cover. Want to use blades to fly? You are going to chop off someones head, not to mention Flying takes planning, competency and running out of fuel in the air is inherently risky, not to mention just maneuvering in wind / adverse conditions. Personal flying devices simply not going to happen without some breakthrough in "antigravity" which physics hasn't discovered yet. (unlikely).

The best bet is perhaps if battery power density improves to a point where you could create basically a drone for carrying a human with meshed and padded rotary blades.... even then... running out of juice mid flight is essentially a death sentence.

 

[ZeroAlligator]

Like others have stated, I don’t really understand how this contest can exist when many such devices are already in development. Check out Richard Browning’s Jet Suit if you want to see one that is very close to release. I watched a video yesterday about how he is adding an in-air deployable wing system that will enable his suit to take someone to parachute height – currently his suit just allows a few feet of flight off the ground. Pretty cool stuff, you can see his website here: www.gravity.co

 

[danmoody]

Great crotch rockets for the air. Then we will see them splitting the run ways "cuz they can fit." Don't be mad at the jet packers cuz your big plane can't fit bro! STOP READING THIS POST AND LOOK OUT FOR MOTORCYCLES !!!!!

 

[sfsuphysics]

Like others have stated, I don’t really understand how this contest can exist when many such devices are already in development. Check out Richard Browning’s Jet Suit if you want to see one that is very close to release. I watched a video yesterday about how he is adding an in-air deployable wing system that will enable his suit to take someone to parachute height – currently his suit just allows a few feet of flight off the ground. Pretty cool stuff, you can see his website here: www.gravity.co

What's the range on some of these? Looking at the guidelines it seems like it needs to start with design phase type stuff, so many bigger companies might not want to hand that stuff over. But looks like they're looking for 20 miles of flight, 20 minutes of flight with 10 minutes of reserve fuel, has to fly faster than 30 knots, and be quieter than 87dB @ 50 feet. Not sure where the state of the art is now, but that one that flies during Super Bowls/Olympics/etc, sure as hell doesn't have that kind of endurance.

 

[Burticus]

Jetpacks. So '60's. The world needs people tubes like on Futurama.

 

[bigdogchris]

It is not practical with our current understanding of quantum mechanics.

 

[noko]

I remember back at Disneyland in California (60's here) jetpacks in tomorrow land being flown. Yes they were limited to less than 30 sec but it always seemed much longer than that. As a kid it was one of the coolest things to watch and to dream about.

I would be thinking a jet pack combined with a glider type concept, get the velocity up so you have uplift and extend distance and add some safety to the whole system.

 

[M76]

I'll give 2 million if someone can build a functioning wormhole to another habitable planet.

 

[Comixbooks]

What about these guys just use their idea?

 

[DPI]

One of the biggest beneficiaries of the mil-industrial complex can't engineer their own jetpack? Jesus Christ.

 

[Youn]

Not surprising... imagine the legal department, red tape, endless meetings, etc... too many chefs in a kitchen, let some other poor folk foot their own funeral bills... boing just wants the final design documents for a measly 2mil...

 

[_l_]

Yea! Jetpacks. James Bond and all of that stuff but ... I don't trust how most people drive; no way I'll trust them when it comes to flying and especially not with a jetpack. I can see it now, a 90 year old person zooming through the skies ... yea, real smart. Might be an effective way to reduce the population though. I'm thinking this Boeing contest is ment to spur interest in aerospace careers, not create grandma and grandpa missile projectiles