Jetpack helps soldiers run faster [video]

Really interesting idea. As an amateur runner myself, I'm always interested in how I can run faster.

My experience with personal fitness is this - there's never just "one thing" you can do to make yourself run faster. Your entire body needs to be trained to the level to maintain performance.

In the case of a jetpack - that means hips and legs have to be able to turn over rapidly, heart and lungs need to be match turnover rate, elasticity of tendons, adapt to impact forces on ankles/knees/feet, and muscles need to process energy efficiently. There's much more i'm sure.

Basically - the only way this would work is if it was paired with an exoskeleton that would mitigate these issues to a large extent - for example, almost no force required from legs, with minimal turnover - using a "leaping" motion from the suit. So any fatso can move at a 4 min/mile.

Otherwise, all I could see this doing is possibly making an already highly trained runner about 5-10% more efficient, but with zero military application as a standalone. Soldiers typically carry about 50-60lbs of gear already, so you'd be asking people to be highly trained runners with 50-60lbs of gear - plus a jetpack - sounds like a recipe for face-planting and injury. You would need an exoskeleton to manage the load. Then - this could get very interesting.

I don´t think they have published any paper, but this kind of experiments are tricky. In the setup showed in the video (n=1, not blinded[1], no control group, no crossover), I would conclude that Jetpack does not work. The time differences are small and the athlete is biased - unconsciously - to run faster with Jetpack.

[1] Blinding in this case it not easy, but they can use a JetPack that sounds like the real one, but does nothing.

Alternatively, bikes. Folding bikes have been used for paratroopers and military purposes for decades. And they can go much faster than a 4 minute mile.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folding_bicycle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_infantry

It reminds me of an experiment some biologists did (sorry can't cite) to demonstrate how wings could have evolved by showing how half a wing could help. They cut short wings on flying bugs. The clipped bugs couldn't fly, but they could move around a lot faster on water surfaces, which seemed a clear advantage over walking speeds. You could imagine a leg evolving to act like a half-wing to give that speed advantage, then you could imagine that leg further evolving to a wing that could enable flight.

Designers and inventors can learn from this. When we want to make a huge jump, like to a working jet pack for flying, it often helps to take small, evolutionary steps.

It would be interesting to develop a vectored thrust inertia compensator. Allow the troops to wear heavier armor but handle the load as if they aren't wearing anything.

It would be really cool if they were able to eventually create exo suits that'll let me do titalfall-like wall running :) Just cuz its really cool.

It's like running with positive wind force.

ps: For flat surfaces I hope they made a test using some kind of rollerskates / shoe hybrid.

I think it would be interesting to see how this thing works for long distance running if you could also extend the runners stride another 6 inches or more through special shoes. Assuming that the key to efficiency by this machine is to get the runner in the air for as long as possible and exert the least amount of human energy.

Well, it's not that impressive, it says the guy ran 3 seconds faster, how is that useful in any context?

Imagine carrying that extra 11 pounds of weight around all the time, just for occasional use in running. I don't think it's a good concept.

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