Back in 1847, a flying device was used to build a bridge across Niagara Falls. The chasm was too far (700 ft) and the water too fast to get a cable across the rushing water, so they organized a kite flying contest with a $10.00 prize for the first one who could successfully land a kite on the other side.
An American teenager named Homan Walsh won that prize, and once the string was over, they used it to pull a rope, then a steel cable, then a suspension bridge.
But in 2024, we don't need kites to build bridges.
We have drones!
That are literally the bridge.
[Skip to 18 minutes if you just want to watch the crossing]
Jake Laser's engineering team is known for all kinds of crazy builds.
And they're perhaps best known for their functioning webshooters that can hold his weight while swinging.
But he did that over a foam pit in case it didn't work.
Building a bridge out of drones and then actually using it to cross a canyon with just a safety cable is just nuts.
I am having such a hard time getting over how dangerous this was. There's no way I would truss a bridge made of drones.
I mean what if it had ended up like his skate-on-ice like Frozone build?
He'd be worse than just cold and wet; I can tell you that.
But, in the end the drone bridge worked, so here's to the next step in human engineering!
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
