If you’re going to hold a festival called “The Future Is Here,” as Smithsonian Magazine did in Washington, D.C., this weekend, you’d best have some demonstrations to back it up. As you can see in the video below, Smithsonian did not disappoint. The venue is the Ronald Reagan Building.
I’ve written before about the Martin Jetpack, which is actually powered not by jets but by a four-cylinder engine. This one is from a company called Jet Pack International and runs on hydrogen peroxide and nitrogen dioxide. Technically, it’s not a jetpack either, but a rocket belt, and can only keep its wearer aloft for 25 seconds. But hey, that’s 24 seconds longer than you can stay aloft without one.
Previously in Slate:
