Aquaskipper Lets You Hop on Water

For years, scientists have played with the idea of self-propelled flight. Even Da Vinci had drawings of devices that looked like airplanes, but powered by pedals. Attempts to create a one-man pedal-powered plane were laughable at best before the Wright Brothers, but scientists have made some strides in self-propelled flight in recent years. Unfortunately, these pedal-planes require the strength of Superman to stay airborne, and why would you need self-propulsion if you had the Man of Steel's powers?

Yet with all the focus on self-propelled flight, no on has ever tried to create a self-propelled device to go across water. That is, until the unveiling of the Aquaskipper. Of course, the designer of the Aquaskipper actually admitted that he was trying to invent a device that would go through the air. He even boasted that his wing would work better than a bird's wing, but he was "afraid to try it". I'm not certain why he just didn't hire some stuntman or someone to do it, but in the process of perfecting his process, he invented the Aquaskipper.

The Aquaskipper works by having the operator jump up and down on it like a pogo stick, which somehow allows the contraption not to sink in the water. It kind of reminds me of one of those water bugs that somehow glide along the water's surface. The device is made of fiberglass and weighs only 25 pounds, and it can fit inside your average golfbag.

As far as practical usage, I'm thinking it is recreational at best. In other words, you probably wouldn't want to use the Aquaskipper unless you were preapared to get your clothes wet. You can see from the video the operator zooming past kayaks, and the designer claiming he made Hawaiian surfers jealous.

It also looks like it could double as some on-water exercise equipment. After all, you need to stay in constant motion in order to keep above water on the Aquaskipper. In case you are wondering, you cannot go out to a body of water and start "Aquaskipping". If you are on the beach, you could put it on the sand and start going with the tide comes in. You can also take it off from a dock. Something tells me that learning to ride this would be like learning how to ride a bike for the first time.

It is available online for about $500. The Aquaskipper may not be as good as self-propelled flight, but you don't need the powers of Superman to use it. Since it does take you miraculously across the water, I suppose it gives you at least one power of Jesus.