SkyPak Flying Backpack Takes Off, an 80 Lb eVTOL With 12 Motors and 6 Pairs of Propellers

Gant’s passion for aircraft has inspired him to also get his private pilot’s license. After working for several companies in the field, he decided it was time to make something on his own and founded Ascend Dynamics. And the first product he’s trying to present to the world under this brand is the SkyPak.

The work on the SkyPak began in 2020 but it took until now for Gant to be able to come up with a flying prototype. It is called SkyPak V1 and it is just a proof-of-concept that’s been conducting only unmanned flights so far, using a dummy instead of a real human pilot.

As for the specs of the flying backpack, it is basically an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft that weighs 80 lb (36 kg) and measures 46” (116 cm) in height, 35” (89 cm) in width, and 9” (22.8 cm) in depth. It is made from a welded aluminum frame.

Based on the tests run so far, the SkyPak can only stay in the air for two minutes, packing a 50V/36.4 Ah battery. The eVTOL uses 12 brushless DC motors with 7 kW of power each, meaning a total power output of 84 kW (112 hp). It also comes with six pairs of counter-rotating propellers.

Ascend Dynamics says its SkyPak could have a lot of applications, be it in search and rescue, law enforcement, firefighting, the military, wind turbine maintenance, communication tower maintenance, and more. The flying backpack can reach areas that would normally be inaccessible, has a clear field of view, and can interact with objects while in flight.

Gant is now trying to raise money to launch the V2 prototype of the SkyPak, which will be heavier (weighing around 100 lb/45 kg) and will have a payload capacity of 200 lb (90 kg). Meanwhile, you can take a better look at the SkyPak V1 in the video below.