Justin Capră
Justin Virgilius Capră | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 19 January 2015 Ploiești, Romania | (aged 81)
Citizenship | Romanian |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Aeronautical engineering |
Virgilius Justin Capră (22 February 1933 – 19 January 2015) was a Romanian engineer and inventor.
Biography
Born in Măgureni, Prahova County, he was trained as an aeronautical engineer. He claimed to have devised over a hundred inventions,[1][2] although a search revealed only two patents in his name.[3] Machines on which he worked included 72 fuel-efficient cars, 15 unconventional engines and seven aircraft.[4] He reported that as early as 1949–1950, he built a motor that would respond to verbal commands. A 1955 two-wheel automobile, which he dubbed the Virgilius, used an airplane motor, reached 300 km/hour and weighed 250 kg.[1] One of his cars, which he called the Soleta and which he modeled in 1973, was unusually small. It consumed 0.5 liters of gasoline per 100 km.[5] Later, he continued developing prototypes for battery-powered motors, with a particular focus on increased efficiency and decreased weight.[1]
Perhaps his most notorious claim is to have invented the
Nevertheless, in Romania alone, his claim to have invented the jet pack is widely believed. While Capră undoubtedly built two jet pack-like devices, the second one dated from the mid-1960s, and he claimed that as the groundbreaking model. At the same time, he admitted his 1958 design did not work.
Notes
- ^ a b c d Mihai, Dana (January 19, 2015). "Justin Capră a murit. Viaţa inventatorului rucsacului zburător pe care l-au 'furat' americanii de la NASA". Adevărul.
- ^ Bălan, Oana (May 19, 2011). "Inventatorul Iustin Capră: 'Automobilul este o crimă!'". Adevărul.
- ^ a b c Lehto 2013, p. 188.
- ^ Mutler, Alison (January 29, 2015). "Justin Capra: Engineer who invented the jetpack, as well as coming up with numerous prototypes for fuel-efficient vehicles". The Independent.
- ^ Mihai, Dana (January 20, 2015). "Justin Capră a murit. Ultimul pariu al inventatorului pentru viitor: casa ecologică, controlată prin smartphone". Adevărul.
- ^ Lehto 2013, p. 185.
- ^ a b Lehto 2013, pp. 185–186.
- ^ a b Lehto 2013, p. 187.
- ^ Lehto 2013, p. 186.
References
- Lehto, Steve (2013). The Great American Jet Pack: The Quest for the Ultimate Individual Lift Device. Illinois: ISBN 978-161374-430-7.