If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to soar like a superhero and you’ve got $6,600 to spare, you are in luck – the inventive minds over at Zapata Racing have invented a pair of water-propelled rocket boots that they call the Flyboard. Though the boots are actually powered by a jet ski that floats behind you attached to a giant tube, if you’re running your jet ski on biofuel you’ve got a pretty green flying machine on your hands. Check out a video of the totally amazing water-defying feats after the jump!
Though the water-powered jet pack that we reported on awhile ago seems fun, these boots let you do so much more than fly upwards away from the water in a straight line. From the looks of the demonstration video, you transform from a land-standing human to a porpoise the minute you strap the device to your feet. The bendier your body, the cooler your tricks can be.
All you need is a jet ski with a 100 horsepower engine or better — and the cash to buy the Flyboard. For an extra $1,200 you can buy an attachment that allows you to soar without the jet ski being towed behind you. The group doesn’t say how that extra attachment is powered — we’re thinking it might have an electric battery attached — but with a few adjustments this could be a totally green adventure.
+ Flyboard
Via DVICE
It does look cool, but with an combustion engine of that size, there’s really nothing green in this. Sure, things like this can be immensely fun, but please don’t greenwash this energy hoarding machine.
This seems to be the next stage of an earlier tethered-barge water flyer device that worked as a ‘jet belt’ vice with hand stabiliser jets and boot mains. Using a commercially available personal watercraft brings the cost down enormously over having to build a custom barge with a water pump to tow behind the operator.
that is really cool. i would probably not recommend it where sharks are known to reside!
“a totally green adventure”?? Apart from JayM’s point about the engine size required just what that tube would do to marine life and landscape is nobody’s business. And just what the environment needs, another jet ski product! Really, this ‘story’ (which reads like a puffer promo) has no place on Inhabitat. One that slipped through the sub-editing net methinks…
Agree with MrClicky. About the only thing green about this thing is the money you’ll waste on it. Come on, its a two stroke personal watercraft pump with a hose attached!