[Video] Fly Like Iron Man For $250,000, Real-Life Suit

Iron Man is one of the most popular superheroes in the Marvel franchise, thanks largely to the charmingly mischievous Robert Downey Jr. and the suit that he wears. Recently, someone managed to create a flight system that follows the same concept as the Iron Man suit. In the videos released, the flight attempts are even reminiscent of the scenes depicted in the 2008 Iron Man movie.

Before superhero fans go nuts, it’s worth noting that, although the jet propulsion system in use is similar in theory to what Tony Stark created, it’s not exactly a full suit. Rather, British entrepreneur Richard Browning simply created a flight setup that allowed him to get off the ground via force from turbines mounted on his arms and back.

The videos that Browning released via his company, Gravity depicted several scenes wherein the oil trader went through several versions of the flight system before finally landing the current model. In the footage released, the system allowed Browning to hover a few feet off the ground.

Speaking to CNET, the businessman explained that the idea behind the flight system is to augment human bodies with technology. This is what his company, Gravity is meant to do with its flight system called Daedalus.

As cool as a functioning flight suit that is similar to Iron Man might be, Brown also stressed how it requires quite a bit of physical conditioning. Unlike a jetpack, which basically requires people to know how to lean forward and back, the Daedalus demands considerable arm and core strength, at the very least.

This makes it less ideal as far as flight systems go, and highlights how many crunches the wisecracking comic book tech genius must do to use his suit. More than that, the suit also costs $250,000 to make, Futurism reports. Perhaps it’s only fitting that the only people who can afford to fly like Tony Stark are people who have as much disposable income as the fictional billionaire.