Consumer aerial jetpacks may still not be readily available, but underwater jetpacks? Those are another story. The relatively affordable XiaoTun is the latest to cross our radar, reportedly shooting wearers up to a maximum submerged speed of almost five feet per second.
Made by a Hong Kong startup of the same name, the XiaoTun ("zow-ton") appears to also be known as the AJ-03, the Smart Diving Jetpack, and the AquaticJetpack … take your pick. It's currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign.
And yes, we have seen other wearable underwater propulsion devices before, although most of those have been worn on the arms or hips. The only other fully backpack-type unit we've seen so far is the considerably more expensive CudaJet.
Putting it simply, the XiaoTun consists of two side-by-side 100-Nm (74-lb-ft) jet drive modules, a 15,000-mAh lithium-iron-phosphate battery, a chest harness with waist and shoulder straps, plus a hard-wired handheld remote. It can accommodate a 2-liter scuba tank on the back, although there's no word on compatibility with BCDs (buoyancy control devices) or weight belts.
Pressing directional buttons on the remote allows you to move forward, backward, or to turn to either side. An AI-based cruise control system then keeps you going in the desired direction, compensating for subtle body movements.
You can choose between cruising speeds of 1.64, 3.28 and 4.92 ft (0.5, 1 and 1.5 m) per second. According to the designers, one 3-hour charge of the battery should be good for runtimes of 90, 60 or 45 minutes, respectively. Battery life is displayed on the remote's 1.43-inch screen.
The whole rig weighs a claimed 20.28 lb (9.2 kg) out of the water, and is rated for a maximum depth of 66 ft (20 m).
For comparison, the 30.8-lb (14-kg) CudaJet tops out at 10 ft (3 m) per second, it can run for 90 minutes per 75-minute charge, and is capable of descending all the way down to 131 ft (40 m). All that extra performance, however, does come with a US$31,312 price tag.
The humbler XiaoTun, by contrast, could be yours for a pledge of $1,374 – assuming it reaches production, that is. Its planned retail price is $2,747.
You can see it in action, in the video below.
Sources: Kickstarter, XiaoTun