The Future Of Personal Flight Could Be The CopterPack

We've seen people fly using jet packs for many years, going back to the 80s. A new type of personal flying device has been shown off on video, and it's called the CopterPack. It's a backpack that a person wears with a pair of enclosed rotors similar to a quadcopter drone. CopterPack is the creation of an Australian company by the same name, and it has released a video showing a pilot flying around using its system.

It's unclear if a system like this could be commercially viable in the future. The rotors are enclosed on the outside, but from the top or underneath, they are completely open and spinning at high speed. Any type of accident could put the pilot's arms directly inside the whirling blades. There are no complicated flight controls; the rotors move back-and-forth on a central axle.

That movement allows the pilot to control their path in the sky. The company says the CopterPack has a self-leveling autopilot feature. CopterPack is lightweight with construction from carbon fiber honeycomb. Carbon fiber is a material commonly used in aircraft, spacecraft, and motorsports for its extreme strength and lightweight.

Most of the technology used in the CopterPack is a mystery. The company has offered no real details on the system. It appears to be electric, but that is among the unknown factoids. The flying range per charge is another of the big mysteries. It's also unclear if this is a prototype system meant for displays and airshows or if the company believes the device is viable for private flight.

The system would appear to have some work that needs to be done to make it a viable system. It would seem that simply adding mesh above and below the rotors could go a long way to making the system safer.