As I understand it, humans can't fly for the same reason big birds don't fly -- we're too heavy, a key contributor being our skeleton, made with solid (rather than hollow) bones to support our frame and head.

Easily solved, one would think -- while the current generation of chielfly titanium implants is not necessarily a weight saver (have not immediately found supporting data), clearly one can design a competitive, or even lighter endo-skeleton.

Our service will meticulously replace the heaviest bones (perhaps sparing the skull), but assuredly the hips, ribs, pelvis and extremities while you sleep. Awake to feel like a superhuman, with your weight trained muscles enabling you not just to walk, not just to run, but to fly like the birds!
-- theircompetitor, Jan 05 2012

//There's probably a few things that you could spare.// http://en.wikipedia...ki/Hemicorporectomy
[mouseposture, Jan 05 2012]

This process will probably be fatal. Your red blood cells (or something equally important) are made in the bone marrow.
-- Vernon, Jan 05 2012


honestly, Vernon, details, given the magnitude of what's proposed :)

[21_Quest], this is of course somewhat tongue in cheek, but I'm saying one can thus (re)build a human that is sufficiently strong for human powered flight. You'd wear a wing suit -- the question is how much weight could you (and need to) to save).

I believe you will need to get down into the 50 to 75 lb range with a very strong adult's muscles.

As the entire skeleton is 40% of the weight (let's say 35% to save the skull -- it's obviously pretty freaking hard -- but I'm not sure it's impossible.

It's probably be a lot easier to build functioning powered exoskeleton wings. But honestly, I've been waiting for the Moller Car for 20plus years. We need some radical thinking here :)
-- theircompetitor, Jan 05 2012


There's probably a few things that you could spare.

To begin with, at least one kidney could go. Lose the thymus. Reduce the intestines drastically - we no longer need to digest raw meat. Do away with the legs but keep the feet (for landing). Teeth are optional too, and would save a few grams.

The bladder is a bit of a luxury too, but then again it doesn't weigh much when empty, so probably no point losing it.

What else?

Hmm. The pleural membranes are a waste of weight (in fact, they're often deliberately fused in people who get recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax), and can go. A couple of ribs on each side can be managed without. And little fingers (and toes) are not really necessary. Hair can also go.

As for the skull - probably no advantage in replacing it (or other bones) with titanium. But the skull could be multiply trepanned to remove a few tens of grams.

Naturally, whole-body liposuction would be a good idea too.

All in all, I reckon you could get the average human down to 30kg without too much effort, although of course they'd be non-average by the time you'd finished.

People have been trying to work out the minimum gene set for an organism. Someone should work out the minimum body-part set to leave a human viable, in suitable surroundings.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 05 2012


I'm sorry, I don't see bad science here. I even pointed out titanium is not a weight saver -- but I'm comfortable believing a bone of equivalent to human strength can be built that weighs less.
-- theircompetitor, Jan 05 2012


Tape up the mouth and nose and pump helium in through the arse.
-- pocmloc, Jan 05 2012


Actually human bone is pretty efficient in terms of strength-to-weight. Your femur can support a car.
-- RayfordSteele, Jan 05 2012


//pectoral muscles//

I know they do a breast-reconstruction surgery that brings part of the latissimus dorsi around front. Perhaps a similar use of the gluteus maximus could make use of the human body's largest muscle - yeah, it'd be a little farther back, but I think the human's center of gravity would require that anyway.

Delta-ish wings would help positioning them, and the high AOA requirement matches up well with the needs of human landing gear.
-- lurch, Jan 05 2012


//The pleural membranes are a waste of weight (in fact, they're often deliberately fused in people who get recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax), and can go.//

There would be pleura serous consequences and repercussions.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jan 05 2012


Surely some humans should be capable of flight. Ive known quite a few near seven foot tall one hundred forty pounders that could get blown over on a windy day. Lets start strapping wings on tall skinny dudes, and dudettes more likely, and let natural selection or whatever take its sweet course.
-- rcarty, Jan 05 2012


I dont see much of an idea here. Even if we go to all the trouble of reducing a normal human's weight to.. my weight, they would still need wings. It seems easier to just make a bigger pair of wings with an artificial muscle running across the breast to flap them. They could even be shape memory wings, like Batman's. Or collapsable, like Yves Rossi's.
-- DIYMatt, Jan 05 2012



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