The 200-kg Martin Jetpack is priced at 1.6 million yuan. (Photo : www.pilotmix.com)
A jetpack allowing users to suit up and travel like Iron Man is coming to China on Dec. 6.
Named Martin Jetpack, the product is expected to make its maiden flight despite regulatory concerns about its large-scale commercial future.
Liu Ruopeng, chairman of Kuang-Chi Science Ltd., the largest shareholder in the firm producing the jetpacks, said that his company will hold the event to showcase the product's capabilities.
Created by the New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft Co., Martin Jetpack is able to fly non-stop for 30 to 45 minutes at altitudes as high as 1,500 meters. The jetpack features two ducted fans and a gasoline engine.
Speaking at a tech conference held by Tencent on Sunday, Liu shared that they hope to make the jetpack the world's first commercialized personal aircraft.
Since late July, the firm has been selling the device on JD.com for 1.6 million yuan. Liu revealed that they have secured around a thousand interested customers.
"Our potential buyers can be divided into two categories. One is the emergency services sector, such as ambulance officers and firefighters, and the other is flight enthusiasts," he said, adding that the product has customers worldwide, mainly from the U.S., Europe, India and China.
Liu furthermore shared his strong belief that the future of the human race lies in getting their feet off the ground.
The CEO added: "Mega-cities are all gridlocked with traffic. Imagine on a rooftop one or two people wearing jetpacks. They can simply fly from one building to another, saving all the time they would be trapped in terrible traffic."
