ASU Inventing A Jetpack To Help You Run A 4 Minute Mile

A group of researchers at Arizona State University have created a jetpack with the goal of allowing military personnel of reaching and breaking the four minute Mile barrier. 

 

Photo/Video: ASU/Vimeo found by OutsideOnline.com

In our world today you think of war being fought thousands of miles away with drones and F-22's but a key integral part of our military force are the foot soldiers fighting on the ground. This is why Arizona State, in conjunction with Defence Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), have started to create a jetpack with the ultimate goal of allowing soldiers to run four minute miles.  

Anyone in the sport of track and field knows there is a big difference between speed and endurance and that is exactly what this pair of researchers are trying to combine. They believe, as many do, that if they can enable soldiers to run faster, away from danger, that it will lead to a safer environment and less casualties for our forces. Though this invention's inventors have high aspirations for it, it will also take a soldier who is in shape and ready for combat to help them achieve this goal. 

The pack itself weighs just over 11 pounds and propels the runner forward by jets positioned down and out in the rear of the pack. Thus far, testing has proven fruitful insofar that positive results have been shown. One runner improved his Mile time by nearly 20 seconds despite the added weight. The scientists who are conducting this research break down the tests into 200 meter segments where they can measure the time they run it in and the amount of energy (metabolic cost) the runner uses. 

Once this invention is finalized and soldiers everywhere are able to run four minute miles what will we (the track community) think about this sacred barrier? More importantly, what will the new ultimate goal be? Will it be 3:30!? And of course the most important question from this invention is what will it be called? The Webb-Pack? The Pre-Pack?

Who knows. But no matter what the answers are to these questions, this research and ultimate goal show you just how important running, fitness, and having a mix of speed and endurance are. 

 

This full story, written by: Will Dietrich-Egensteiner can be read here: http://www.outsideonline.com/news-from-the-field/This-Jetpack-Will-Make-You-Run-a-4-Minute-Mile.html