This is a video of inventor Richard Browning demonstrating the Daedalus flying suit he built with his team at Gravity Industries. The suit uses a pair of small jet engines mounted on the user’s back, as well as one or two on each arm, to lift a would-be Iron Man off the ground. The future! (Why’s the future always have to be so loud?)

According to Wired UK, Richard’s suit “can travel at a speed of up to 279 miles an hour, although Browning hasn’t tested it to anywhere near full capacity.”

To hover, Browning starts his engines before directing his movement with small, precise shifts of his body. The two turbines on his back are splayed out to provide balance; the two on each arm angle forward. Pointing down creates what Browning calls “a teepee of thrust vectors,” pushing him away from the ground. Shifting his arms back sends him forward; flaring his arms out pushes him down. If he wants more speed, he pulls his arms in and pushes his chest out.

Admittedly, this does look like a step in the right direction. But what I’m looking for is a giant leap in the right direction. You know, like that famous spaceman once said. What was his name again? “Buzz Lightyear.” Yes, Buzz Lightyear, thank you.

Keep going for three videos of the system being tested.

Source: Geekologie – Man Builds His Own Iron-Man Hoversuit With Jet Engines Attached To His Arms