Dare to defy gravity | Richard Browning | TEDxGlasgow
The speaker argues that augmenting the human mind and body through rigorous physical training, combined with new technology like micro gas turbines, can achieve novel forms of human flight. He illustrates this through a multi-stage development process, highlighting the importance of learning by failing and iterating on designs, culminating in a prototype that pushes speed boundaries. The overall message is to pursue ideas without regard for perceived impossibility, gaining knowledge through direct, safe, and sensible experimentation. ## Theses & Positions - The human mind and body, when trained and focused on a clear objective, possesses remarkable capabilities. - True innovation requires moving beyond theoretical study and actively testing ideas in the real world. - The process of learning is fundamentally iterative, making "falling over" and failure critical components of development. - The sheer power of an idea is demonstrated by the willingness to pursue it despite it being deemed "impossible or ridiculous." ## Concepts & Definitions - **Augmenting the human Mind and Body:** The goal of enhancing natural physical capabilities to achieve new forms of flight. - **Micro gas turbine:** The key technology piece hypothesized to provide the necessary propulsion power. - **Retune balance (of the brain):** The demonstrated human capacity to adapt and control complex equipment for stability. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **De-risking the concept:** Starting with an "audacious unusual idea" to challenge existing notions of human flight. - **Iterative development:** Moving through sequential physical demonstrations, from basic control to incorporating multiple engines on arms and legs. - **Process of failure:** Repeatedly failing (e.g., unstable suspension when lifting) served to refine the engineering and technique. - **Refining:** Constantly improving designs based on failures, exemplified by replacing an inefficient fuel tank setup. - **Advancement towards Phase 2:** Utilizing knowledge gained to design an improved system prototype. ## Timeline & Sequence - **Starting Point:** The idea was hatched approximately **15 months** prior to the talk. - **Early Tests:** Initial testing involved using a micro gas turbine in a lane with a mop bucket. - **Progression:** Went from simple stability tests (holding 45 kilos horizontally) to multi-engine arms and legs, showing rapid, visible progress. - **Culmination:** The final, successful demonstration marked the moment the endeavor moved beyond mere experimentation. - **Recent Progress:** The speaker mentions having launched the system to the public about **two months** ago. - **Future Scope:** Currently developing a "Phase 2 system," with plans to look for potential "Pilots two and three" in the next few months. ## Examples & Cases - **Denton:** A training partner in London used to demonstrate the impressive capabilities of the trained human mind and body. - **Initial stability test:** Trying to withstand holding **45 kilos** horizontally, which proved difficult. - **Suspension experiment:** Trying to suspend the body from the back, which failed because the added stability was too hard to manage. - **Three-headed nightmare:** An early, complex, and "silly" experimental setup using three engines on each arm, pushing about **70 kilos** of thrust, **65 kilos** of thrust on each arm. - **The breakthrough moment:** The point where the cumulative small improvements finally made the entire endeavor successfully function. - **Skateboarding comparison:** The speaker notes that he cannot even skateboard, suggesting the technical feat is not indicative of any "special capability." ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Micro gas turbine:** The crucial, initial enabling technology component. - **Gas turbine equipment:** Used repeatedly for propulsion and thrust demonstrations. - **Prototype System:** The general technology being developed for augmented flight. - **Phase 2 System:** The next planned, more advanced version of the technology. ## Named Entities - **Denton:** A training partner in London used to showcase human capability. - **Red Bull friends:** The group in front of whom a particularly memorable failure/test occurred. ## Numbers & Data - Time frame for the journey: **18 months to 15 months**. - Thrust of the three-engine-per-arm setup: **70 kilos** (total) and **65 kilos** (per arm). - Weight for early stability test: **45 kilos**. - Time spent achieving balance/stability: "probably for with only an hour and a half in the saddle." - System launch period: About **two months** ago. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The ability to achieve flight is not evidence of the speaker having some "special capability." - The initial setup (e.g., the three-headed engines) was acknowledged as "silly" and for "fun to mess around doing it." ## Methodology - **Conceptual Foundation:** Challenging the established boundaries of human flight by augmenting mind and body. - **Testing Method:** Using a combination of controlled physical demonstrations, disposable/fail-safe equipment, and continuous real-world iterative testing. - **Key Principle:** Learning is gained through systematic failure and refinement of both engineering and physical control. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The core message is to act on ideas without fear of impossibility; the process of *doing* is more powerful than desk study. - Anyone with an idea should get out there safely and sensibly to test it and learn from the process. ## Verbatim Moments - *"Could you challenge flight or could you challenge the way that humans have flown um and come at it from a different angle"* - *"No reasons other than having a massive amount of fun."* - *"The real hero here is if you look closely in the background of the footage you can see somebody trying to do some alotment kind of gardening there after a while just gives up."* - *"I'm trying to withstand there unsuccessfully"* - *"falling over you know learning by failing key theme of this whole journey"* - *"it was just all these lots of little incremental steps that finally culminated into this next little clip"* - *"it's all down to apart from the engineering being you know kind of well done um it's all down to the fact that the brain can can can learn to adapt and and control this equipment in a really quite elegant way"* - *"I've spent U 15 years in a in a relatively normal job you know in a corporate career"* - *"just shows the power if you get out there and learn from doing and literally learn from failing and falling over"*