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ChinaScience

China plans its first human flight on a jet-powered skateboard able to climb 3,000 metres high

  • Small vertical take-off device could lift a person or cargo weighing over 100kg, says Beijing Institute of Power Machinery
  • ‘Smart’ flying skateboard code-named SF-FB-30 reportedly flies autonomously and has both military and civilian applications

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A Chinese defence contractor says it will test its jet-propelled skateboard with a human flight next year. Photo: Richard Zhang
Zhang Tongin BeijingandStephen Chenin Beijing

The first human test flight in China on a jet-propelled skateboard will take place next year, according to a Beijing-based defence contractor developing the technology.

The small vertical take-off device, powered by four micro-turbojet engines, can lift a person or cargo weighing over 100kg (220lbs) up to 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) high.

Once in the air, the passenger can stand and hover for 10 minutes or charge in any direction at a speed of up to 150km/h (93mph).

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With the help of a smart flight control system powered by artificial intelligence, “the operation is as simple as a skateboard,” said the Beijing Institute of Power Machinery, a contractor for China’s space programme and hypersonic weapons, in a poster at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong.

“We are making the fastest progress in China. Our machine is simpler and easier to use than similar projects in other countries,” an institute representative said on Wednesday.

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The institute said the skateboard was so smart it could fly on its own, allowing it to carry cargo or transport a passenger.

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