For decades, companies have funneled millions to make a viable, working jetpack. It was only in the last couple of years that the engineering and economic challenges were met, with more than a dozen companies around the world designing jetpacks. The market has also caught on, it seems. China Daily reports a Shenzhen startup has received 200 orders for the Martin Jetpack, what they call “the world’s first practical and commercial jetpack”.

Credit: Martin Jetpack

“Our buyers are from all over the world,” said Zhang Yangyang, CEO of KuangChi Science Ltd,. “For example, a rescue team in Dubai ordered about 30 units because the jetpack is easier to operate than helicopters in a city full of skyscrapers.”

A jetpack is a propulsion device worn on the back of a single user which uses a jet of gas to create lift. Engineers have designed jetpacks that work on anything from the oxygen-methane-mix you often see in rockets, to high-power compressed nitrogen.

The First Responder Jetpack made by the Chinese startup is powered by a gasoline engine which drives twin ducted fans.  It was built for saving people from fires, as well as for search-and-rescue operations, border security, disaster recovery and so on. It can carry a payload of up to 120 kilograms and has a flying autonomy of 45 minutes at 80 km/hour. That’s considerably more autonomy than its competitors. The  JB-9 from JetPack Aviation, which can reach heights of up to 10,000 feet, can only fly for 10 minutes.

Indeed, a jetpack might prove more useful in some skyscraper-rich urban environments like Dubai than a helicopter would. They’re also great for sports, as Yves Rossy and Vince Reffet marvelously showed when they zipped through Dubai’s glorious skyline with jetpacks that can fly at 300 km/h.

Safety should come first, though. Last month, the vice president of  Jet Pack International was severely injured during a test of one of the company’s jetpacks.