First Look at Lunavity, the Backpack That Lets You Leap Like You’re Walking on the Moon

Researchers at the University of Tokyo’s Rekimoto Lab built a backpack that turns ordinary jumps into something closer to a slow-motion bounce across the lunar surface. Called Lunavity, or Augmented Jump in the formal paper, the system straps a multi-rotor aircraft to your back and uses constant upward thrust to lighten your body so you can jump higher, stay airborne longer, and come down more gently.

A small, circular frame about a meter and a half in diameter stands above the wearer’s head, housing a cluster of rotors neatly arranged in the same manner as an octocopter. This monstrosity stands just shy of 1.3 meters tall and weighs a whopping 60 kilograms. That is almost entirely down to the batteries, which weigh around 24kg on their own. In its proof-of-concept form the machine can support up to 50 kilograms of a person’s weight with steady upward force, and the effective gravity is decreased to approximately 25% of its normal value. The user must still move to reach the ground running, but once airborne, the rotors activate to decelerate the descent, significantly increasing both the height and airtime of the leap.

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No sophisticated controls are required because sensors simply detect the wearer’s natural movements and modify the push to make it feel fluid and natural rather than forced or mechanical. Once in the air, these same sensors may detect the user’s stance or hand movements, allowing them to choose which direction to face or explore before returning to earth. The whole aim was to make the user feel in charge. It does not take control; rather, it amplifies the wearer’s natural movements.

So far, early tests and a small group of users have shown that wearing the prototype allows people to jump higher and stay aloft for longer periods of time than they could on their own. In 2018, a few tech demos circulated that demonstrated the possibilities, such as a man clearing a zebra crossing in one bound, dunking a basketball, or reaching up to gather fruit from a tree. The term Lunagravity makes more sense now, given the team’s goal of providing a low gravity experience on Earth.