An anonymous reader writes "This week a cool, sub-$100,000 rocket belt was unveiled and will be on sale this summer, but that's the sad thing: it's still not a real jet pack. Here's a fascinating inside look at the human-flight industry, full of law-suit scandals, technical difficulties, fuel-economy woes and endless delays. The good news? It all points to the next generation of rocketeer research, with real applications for medical rescue and military technology actually coming on the horizon. From the article: "With a little patience, and a little funding, we could actually have the pleasure of grumbling over regulatory issues we never dreamed possible. Like being limited to specific kinds of air strips, because the jet strapped to your back is classified by the FAA as an ultralight. Or being required to wear a ballistic parachute, because Amarena's Thunderjet design could reach altitudes as high as 10,000 feet (and, for the record, speeds of up to 160 mph, provided someone can solve wind-resistance issues). So while rocket belts continue to taunt our collective inner child, if you can wait another year, or two, or maybe 10, something truly impossible is barreling toward you"" Link to Original Source
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For personal, powerful (fictitious) transportation, give me the strap-on exoskeleton. I'll be able to run 50 mph, jump over cars, drag wreckage off the roadway and fuel up at my convenient hydrogen station (don't forget to clean the helmet windscreen). In my spare time, I'll be able to write articles about vaporware products which would be "going on sale next year" since the 1945 issue of Popular Mechanics. Gee, I hope I'll have room in my garage next to the flying car, personal blimp, and DIY cold fusio
Give me the strap-on exoskeleton (Score:1)