Skip to main content
Part of complete coverage on
 

New jetpack gets set for summer take-off

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • New water-powered jetpack set to catch the eye at water resorts this summer
  • Jetlev's arrival on the market is result of over ten years of work for inventor Raymond Li
  • The jetpack can hover up to heights of 10 meters and has a top speed of 35 kph

London (CNN) -- Bored of jet skis? Banana boat rides not floating your boat anymore?

Well, this summer you could be whizzing around on a Jetlev, a new water-powered jetpack.

It's taken over 10 years for its Canadian inventor, Raymond Li, to realize his dream and see his jetpack go on sale, but judging by the pictures it looks well worth the wait.

The Jetlev has three main components -- a lightweight carbon fiber backpack, a 10-meter hose and an engine unit which floats on the water.

Watch the Jetlev in action

The engine sucks water up through the hose and forces it through two adjustable nozzles on the backpack, creating up to 500 pounds of thrust, say Jetlev's German-based manufacturers, MS Watersports GmbH.

Water jetpack hovers 30 feet
RELATED TOPICS

Small adjustments to the hand controls allow pilots to control the speed -- a maximum of 35 kph (22 mph) -- and your height, which rises to a maximum of 10 meters (30 feet), according to the manufacturers.

The Jetlev was showcased at the Dusseldorf Boat Show at the end of January and will be making an appearance at the Dubai International Boat Show in March, says Alexander Theis, head of marketing at MS Watersports GmbH.

Theis says orders are already coming in from the Middle East as well as from private buyers in Russia and Portugal.

A price tag of €100,000 ($136,000) probably makes this a jetpack only affordable to the jet set, but Theis says the company is exploring leasing opportunities with holiday resorts and charter yacht companies.

[TECH: NEWSPULSE]

Most popular Tech stories right now