You might consider parachuting from an aircraft to be risky, but one daredevil has performed the world's first jump from a drone!
A tech company from Latvia claimed on Friday to have successfully completed the world's first parachute jump from a super-powered drone.
Aerones claimed the world's first successful human parachute jump from a drone. /Facebook Photo
Ingus Augtkalns was the daredevil skydiver.
He waited at the top of a 120-meter communication tower before being lifted by the drone. After he was carried 300 meters above the ground, he jumped, opened the parachute, and landed safely.
Skydiver Ingus Augstkalns was lifted by the drone from a communication tower in Latvia. /CFP Photo
Aerones, a Latvian heavy-duty drone manufacturer, performed this feat in a wild, isolated central region of the Baltic state, according to AFP.
Equipped with 28 propellers, the drone measures 3.2 square meters and weighs 70 kilograms. It is able to lift weights of up to 200 kilograms.
Augtkalns said he felt really amazing when being lifted up by the drone, adding that the technology will be applied in more and more cases in daily life.
"It was so much fun, like being in a playground in childhood," Augstkalns told AFP.
Janis Putrams, CEO of Aerones (L), and skydiver Ingus Augstkalns (R) stand on the tower. /CFP Photo
The successful test proved that the drone could carry certain-weight cargoes stably, said the company. It expressed hope that its drones could be made available in various fields which are more practical, such as rescue operations, transport, sports and entertainment.
Drones could be used in many important tasks in the near future, said Janis Putrams, CEO of Aerones, who was in charge of the drone controls.
Putrams and his team first came up with the idea of building the heavy-duty drone two years ago, according to AFP.
"We're aiming at using it for human rescue, so today was a good test," Putrams said.
The drone, which cost 35,000 euros (38,245 US dollars) to build, has a flight time of around 10 minutes using on-board batteries and can reach a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour.
