Aug 2, 2017 | By Tess
If you thought Tony Stark was badass, just wait till you get a load of this real-life Iron Man. Richard Browning, the founder of UK-based tech startup Gravity Industries, has developed a 3D printed jet-engine suit which he can actually fly. And while he may not be fighting off Loki’s alien monsters, the fact he can use it in RL is pretty phenomenal.
Gravity Industries was founded by Browning in March 2017 with one main goal: merging technology with the human body to see what can be accomplished. Its first big project? Building a real and functioning Iron Man suit.
The suit, which will be in continual development (we imagine), currently consists of six miniature jet engines mounted on the wearer’s arm and back, a complex exoskeleton suit which enables vertical flight, and, of course, some padding. Components of the suit are set to be 3D printed from metal in the near future.
With 1,000 horsepower, the suit is not quite suitable for anyone to use, as it requires an extreme level of control to function properly (i.e. not shooting the users directly into the ground). Fortunately, Browning, a real life superhero in his own right, has that physical capacity.
Nope, he didn’t come into contact with anything radioactive and no he’s not from another planet. Browning, a 38-year-old ex-Royal Marine, simply has an extremely regimented exercise circuit—consisting of cycling over 150 km, running 40 km, and doing three intensive calisthenic sessions per week—which has given him the physical strength and balance to control the jet-pack flying suit.
The suit itself holds the fuel tank for the engines in a backpack, and each arm is equipped with a two-engine configuration that weighs up to 90 lbs. When the suit is in action, the engines can reach temperatures of up to 700ºC, though Browning and his team assure that any risks of the user catching fire or burning are low, as the engine heat is dispersed into the air.
In an interview with Redbull, Browning explained that “the suit can fly in most directions,” though he emphasizes that while the engines are capable of flying at several hundred km per hour and thousands of km in altitude, wearers of the suit should only be flying a couple of meters in the air.
(Images: Richard Browning)
At present, Gravity Industries is working on improving its Iron Man suit (officially dubbed the Daedalus project) by adjusting the engines and 3D printing a suit that will incorporate an aluminum housing for the rocket engines. Ultimately, Browning says he hopes to add wings to the suit as well.
Check out the video below to learn more about Gravity Industries and its 3D printed flying suit:
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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Awesome. Keep it up.
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