Stuntman Peter Salzmann has been hard at work for a while recently on an electric-powered wingsuit that will make the extreme sport a little more like flying and a little less like prolonged falling. Created in partnership with BMW’s Designworks studio, Salzmann’s final result is a wingsuit with a chest-mounted, electric-powered contraption with two 25,000 rpm, 5-inch impellers.
Normally when Salzmann goes wingsuiting his top speed is about 62 mph — with the new device, however, he can hit speeds of more than 186 mph. It also allows him to gain a bit of elevation when necessary, something standard wingsuits can’t do. The device is operated via an on/off switch and two-finger throttle, and for safety (although the types of people who might use this thing may not be too concerned about that) there is an emergency cutoff switch.
You can see Salzmann and the wingsuit in action in the video below. There are no details yet on when or if this device might become available to consumers.
