Text Peter Salzmann is an Austrian daredevil. As a base jumper, he takes his life into his own hands on a regular basis, but apparently, the rush of falling from a helicopter and soaring downward through clouds and beautiful landscapes wasn't cutting it anymore. Salzmann wanted a way to prolong his jumps. In essence, he wanted to fly. That's where BMW came in. Salzmann worked with BMW's i division to create a set of impellers for his wingsuit. The theory was that if the impellers create enough thrust, they would allow him to prolong his jumps. Think of Salzmann as sort of a human kite. It took three years for the electrified wingsuit to go from concept to completion. During that time, the suit was tested in a number of wind tunnels specifically designed to work out the aerodynamics of specialist flight gear such as wingsuits. The pack itself is made from carbon fiber and aluminum, which allow the whole thing to tip the scales at just 26 pounds. Each impeller spins at...
Mercedes-Benz, Luxury Automobiles, German Engineering, Premium Car Brand, Mercedes Innovation