AirKick Human Catapult Will Send You Flailing 26 Feet into the Air

August 23, 2008 by Kiltak |

I’m sure you’ve all seen scenes in movies where an army attacking a fortified city was catapulting bodies over its wall. If you’ve always wondered what this experience must have felt like, here’s the chance of your life.

Dubbed “The AirKick”, this German creation is basically a human catapult that can launch you, or a basket full of cut-off human heads if that strikes your fancy, over 26 feet in the air. The location where you want to land is entirely up to you, so you can decide to land in a pool, a lake, and even a foam pit. Creator Jochen Schweizer describes it best:

It propels participants through the air in a pre-calculated parabolic trajectory using a special combination of air pressure and water recoil technology. Approximately 60 Liters of water are then forced through a rocket nozzle under the seat. This pressurized water (8 to 10 bar of air pressure) propels the participant 8 meters though the air for a cool and refreshing splash down in a swimming pool.

Maybe we should ask Mark O’Neill, our correspondent from Germany, to go and give the AirKick a shot… but then again, knowing him, he’ll probably refuse right away. Would YOU be willing to be sent flailing 26 feet in the air?