BMW Demos a Powered Wingsuit That Can Fly 186 MPH (syfy.com) 90
Wingsuits normally create a wide surface area of fabric between a skydiver's legs and from their legs to their arms, substantially slowing their fall.
But to create a buzz for the unveiling of BMW's new iX3 electric SUV, the company's creative consultancy Designworks "has partnered up with Austrian stuntman Peter Salzmann to unveil a wicked-cool new electric powered wingsuit that can propel a brave human being up to speeds nearing 200 miles-per-hour," reports Syfy Wire: Over the years since non-powered wingsuits first hit the extreme sports scene, Salzmann had pondered over how to infuse wingsuits with sustainable propulsion and the ability to climb. He teamed up with engineers and creative consultants at BMW's Designworks studio to create a pair of chest-mounted electric impellers and a special wingsuit that would utilize them. Realizing that the optimum airflow would exist in front of the suit, and not behind, Salzmann and the BMW crew pivoted to this front-end arrangement employing two 5-inch, 25,000 rpm impellers inside an aerodynamic, economical air-inlet package that mirrors the legendary German automotive firm's aesthetic sensibilities. For safety measures, there is a dedicated on/off switch to fire it up, a two-finger throttle device, a minimal steering component, and an instant cutoff switch for emergency situations, like encountering a flock of wild geese leisurely flying south for the winter.
While not built for extended flights, but short hops instead, the suit's propellers pump out approximately 20 horsepower for roughly five minutes, far superior than a standard wingsuit, whose horizontal glide rate falls one meter for every three meters traveled horizontally. Non-powered wingsuits max out at about 62 mph, but when Salzmann punches the electric boost, he can attain speeds over 186 mph, in addition to gaining altitude instead of gradually losing it.
BMW has released a terrific video with footage showing a trio of stuntment flying in formation in their powered wingsuits over the Austrian Alps.
But to create a buzz for the unveiling of BMW's new iX3 electric SUV, the company's creative consultancy Designworks "has partnered up with Austrian stuntman Peter Salzmann to unveil a wicked-cool new electric powered wingsuit that can propel a brave human being up to speeds nearing 200 miles-per-hour," reports Syfy Wire: Over the years since non-powered wingsuits first hit the extreme sports scene, Salzmann had pondered over how to infuse wingsuits with sustainable propulsion and the ability to climb. He teamed up with engineers and creative consultants at BMW's Designworks studio to create a pair of chest-mounted electric impellers and a special wingsuit that would utilize them. Realizing that the optimum airflow would exist in front of the suit, and not behind, Salzmann and the BMW crew pivoted to this front-end arrangement employing two 5-inch, 25,000 rpm impellers inside an aerodynamic, economical air-inlet package that mirrors the legendary German automotive firm's aesthetic sensibilities. For safety measures, there is a dedicated on/off switch to fire it up, a two-finger throttle device, a minimal steering component, and an instant cutoff switch for emergency situations, like encountering a flock of wild geese leisurely flying south for the winter.
While not built for extended flights, but short hops instead, the suit's propellers pump out approximately 20 horsepower for roughly five minutes, far superior than a standard wingsuit, whose horizontal glide rate falls one meter for every three meters traveled horizontally. Non-powered wingsuits max out at about 62 mph, but when Salzmann punches the electric boost, he can attain speeds over 186 mph, in addition to gaining altitude instead of gradually losing it.
BMW has released a terrific video with footage showing a trio of stuntment flying in formation in their powered wingsuits over the Austrian Alps.
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That's 299.338 kph
That seems a strange coincidence...
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That's 299.338 kph
That seems a strange coincidence...
Would be a strange coincidence if the number was 300
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Most likely the US media introduced a rounding error when converting from km/h.
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Using correct significant figures is not a rounding error
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That's 299.338 kph
That seems a strange coincidence...
As it is, it's closer to the speed of light / 1000
Re: ...and in metric (Score:2)
You have a really weird grasp about c.
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Seems like they're tried to limit it (Score:2)
God knows why and it certainly won't be limited in a dive.
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Terminal velocity in a dive is slower than that, even without the added drag of the engines and wingsuit.
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Also the kind they use in Austria, where the story is from.
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300km/h #KISS (Score:2)
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it's "km/h". kph is not an unit.
Right ! (Score:2)
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Well... go see their secretary of education and you will KNOW why this is so.
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F (which stands for Fahrad and not fahrenheit) instead of F. Or C (which stands for Coulomb and not Celcius) instead of C.
Slashcode to the rescue! Simultaneously wrecking our point and proving it all at once.
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Well...you didn't put the degree sign. If you did, it doesn't matter because Slashdot removed it. Also, the degree sign isn't useful information in context.
Tl;dr (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Tl;dr (Score:5, Insightful)
... condescending tagline "what's your reason not to change?"
Simple answer: "The disposable amount on my bank account."
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They don't make ICE cars anymore. Certainly not luxury ones.
That's quite an exaggeration, even for an AC on /.
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Nope. Pretty much all high-end luxury cars are moving to either electric or hybrid.
The "sales rep" segment will probably be ICE for a while simply because of range but rich guys are driving to the country club in electrics.
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You do realize that all hybrid cars are still ICE cars right?
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All hybrid cars are also electric cars. Your point is?
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Your comment was in response to NateFromMich stating that "[t]hey don't make ICE cars anymore. Certainly not luxury ones." was "quite an exaggeration". Your response to that statement was "Nope. Pretty much all high-end luxury cars are moving to either electric or hybrid." which implies that they really aren't making ICE cars anymore. The problem with that statement is that hybrids are ICE vehicles. Thus my statement to that fact.
Yes all hybrids are also electric but the statement wasn't that no one is mak
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They built a battery powered suit where you can fly like superman, they did formation flying in it and they got paid for it. You have a problem with this? Hand in your nerd card.
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Not only that, they've done this with jet engines a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
So... they replaced off the shelf RC jets with off the shelf RC ducted fans. Whoa.
you'll never get me up in that thing (Score:2)
Why the smoke ? (Score:2)
1) You build a cool electric car
2) You build a cool electric wingsuit
3) you add smoke to that wingsuit... ??
Why ? must be an old BMW tradition :)
why the fake engine sounds? (Score:2)
The more ridiculous thing BMW has done with their electric cars is to configure ICE engine noises to be emitted from the cockpit speakers [drivetribe.com] as the pedal is pressed.
Re: Why the smoke ? (Score:2)
"3) you add smoke to that wingsuit... ??"
So you know where that often tiny dot flew, and what course it took. It also generates more "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd when they see those smoky loops and twists hanging in the air, because their brains are given a bit more time to process it.
I take it you've never been to an air show?
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It was just rethoric, because one great ting about EVs is the no stink factor, they clearly did not think about that when releasing their press photos.
Shows you that the traditionnal automakers are still not thinking in the new normal of their customers, but they are making progress :)
I saw a few airshows, and, frankly, nothing beats some great looking DC-3 passing over you at low altitude :)
Finally... (Score:5, Funny)
BMW have found themselves a market where they are not forced by law to install any turn signals.
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Re: Finally... (Score:2)
Video link is click bait! (Score:5, Informative)
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If you watch Episode 1 it shows the suit in action.
What season?
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Actually it does.
You obviously did not watch the linked movie.
And that gets modded up to +5, lol
Given the amount of traffic on highways... (Score:2)
Birdperson is pleased. (Score:3)
LA Airport Jet Pack Guy (Score:2)
I wonder if BMW has been flying these critters around the LA airport? There were two independent cases of passenger plane pilots spotting a guy flying around in a jet pack. Maybe BMW was this . . . ?
Or, if not, maybe we could arrange an old style airborne dogfight between the jet pack guy and the wingsuit guy . . . ?
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I doubt BMW would be that reckless.
Yeah, only BMW are that reckless.
LOWEST speed (Score:2)
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In other words: how do you take off and land?
You don't. Takeoff consists of jumping out of an aircraft or from a mountain. You land by deploying a parachute. There have been a few guys landing wingsuits without a parachute, but strictly as an extreme stunt.
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There are jet wings which have done vertical take-off successfully..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Flight with small jet engines and a strapped on pair of wings has been demonstrated. Some of the problems include safety, control enough for vertical take-off and landing, and the expensive of the small high-performance jet engines. But the basic concept showed up in science magazines in the 1970's, which I remember reading with considerable excitement. The designers then proposed switching to tufted fan eng
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Oh, my. I meant "ducted fans". "Tufted fans" would be something else altogether.
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Flight (and landing) with no engine at all has been demonstrated. I do it myself. The problem with landing wingsuits isn't the engines, it's the barely-there wings.
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Takeoff consists of jumping out of an aircraft or from a mountain. You land by deploying a parachute.
I hadn't really thought about this before, but the problem with landing is clear in hindsight. Tricky situation, though. If one descends below the point at which a parachute can be deployed before hitting the ground, one is out of options?
Re: LOWEST speed (Score:2)
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If it can provide thrust to lift the skydiver - it can provide thrust to slow him/her down, breaking relatively near the ground and then have them drop onto a "safe" surface from a "safe" altitude.
I mean... it's doable without a parachute OR an electric engine. [youtu.be]
Make mine a Chevy 350 small block (Score:3)
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Ay Rico! (Score:1)
ACME Bat-man suit! (Score:2)
Dangerous (Score:4, Funny)
It might get hit by a flying car soon.
I don't think this really does anything... (Score:3)
The video shows some wingsuiters diving down and then one of them 'swoops' upwards as the others continue.
Thing is - wingsuiters can do this already without power.
https://www.skydivemag.com/new... [skydivemag.com]
There are various wingsuiters who have achieved sustained level flight using jets.
e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
If the BMW engine was able to achieve sustained level flight, then my money says they would have actually shown that in the video.
As to the 186mph - nothing impressive here. The wingsuit speed record (without power) is 246.60 mph
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org].
I'm seeing something where they have strapped on an engine which does not very much and then asked their (well paid) pilot to try to make it look good with smoke and mirrors...
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Yes, 20 hp is not much when it comes to powered flight.
Probably increased speed to 186 mph *when used in a full dive* and allows the skydiver to gain altitude *by trading off velocity*
Nothing as cool as Yves Rossy's jetman suit, which is the real deal.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=... [youtube.com]
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Why do you not watch the movie?
They started on a "low base" and flew over a higher one.
With diving and "conserving momentum" you can not do that (first law of physics - or second, depending how you count).
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I have watched the movie, and I don't see that. He jumps out of a helicopter. Dives down to the lower of the three mountaintops, then 'swoops' up over the higher one.
(converting kinetic energy to potential)
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(converting kinetic energy to potential)
Pretty unlikely in a suit that has so much drag.
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you might think that if you didn't know already that wingsuiters can do it (see my earlier comment)
https://www.skydivemag.com/new... [skydivemag.com]
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Yes they can. Obviously. But not over the hight and distance like the propelled one. A no brainer.
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If the BMW engine was able to achieve sustained level flight, then my money says they would have actually shown that in the video.
They showed climbing. In my book that beats "sustained level flight".
As to the 186mph - nothing impressive here. The wingsuit speed record (without power) is 246.60 mph In a rocket propelled suit? Which part of "electric" and "fans" do you not get?
Coolest thing ever (Score:2)
Re: Coolest thing ever (Score:2)
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Learn to hang glide or paraglide. It's much safer, and much better flying. Wing suits are really falling with style.
Gaining altitude using nature and your brain is also very satisfying.
Wingsuit landing (Score:2)
The car must be shit (Score:2)
If the car were any good they wouldn't need to resort to theatrics to sell it.
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They probably want to win the Cannes Role :P
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Not a terrific video (Score:1)
Just another terrible video with the same old lame heavy music and mostly talking head
Why no wingsuits in a Bond movies? (Score:2)
Seems like it would fit the Bond genre perfectly.
BMW electrical risks (Score:2)