Humanity’s obsession with leaping from the skies and back to Earth with a parachute and a prayer (or an Automatic Activation Device), has taken many forms: skydiving out of hot air balloon swings, skydiving out of a plane without any parachute whatsoever. But now, for the first time ever, love of high-altitude adrenaline rushes has been combined with that other aerial obsession, drones, for the world’s first “drone jump.”
The jump took place in Māļi, a rural area of Amata, Latvia, and took Aerones and Augstkalns six months to plan. They decided to have Augstkalns latch himself onto the drone at the top of a 120 meter-tall (roughly 393 feet) communications tower owned and operated by the Latvian State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC). Presumably, they chose to have Augstkalns grab onto the drone at this height because, no one wanted a malfunction at a height where a chute couldn’t open in time.
As for what to look forward to in the future, Aerones seems set on proving that their drones can do everything from tow wakeboarders to rescue hikers. Here it is fighting fires:
Here it is being used as a helicopter hat:
No wait, that’s Inspector Gadget.
What do you think about this drone jump? Go Go Gadget Comments below!
Images: YouTube / Aerones
