# Gravity, or Lunavity? (DD-007)

> A University of Tokyo team built a 16-fan wearable drone that makes jumping feel like you're on the Moon.

- Department: Tech
- First published: 2026-09-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-17
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/lunavity/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **2018**: Lunavity's hover-backpack prototype appears at SXSW in Austin

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=lunavity

## Quick facts

- **DD-007-F01**: Lunavity is a wearable drone that holds up part of the wearer's weight while they jump; its name is a nod to the Moon. _(Slide 02 · Exhibit A)_
- **DD-007-F02**: Lunavity was built by students from Jun Rekimoto's lab at the University of Tokyo and unveiled in 2018. _(Slide 03 · Exhibit B)_
- **DD-007-F03**: Lunavity uses a ring of 16 electric ducted fans above the wearer that push air down for lift. _(Slide 04 · Exhibit C)_
- **DD-007-F04**: Lunavity is not a jetpack: it lightens the wearer so every jump goes higher and lasts longer. _(Slide 05 · Exhibit D)_
- **DD-007-F05**: Lunavity has no joystick; it follows the wearer's body. _(Slide 06 · Exhibit E)_
- **DD-007-F06**: Lunavity aims to make jumping feel like walking on the Moon, where gravity is about 1/6 of Earth's. _(Slide 07 · Exhibit F)_
- **DD-007-F07**: The Lunavity team pitched the wearable drone for slam dunks, jumping across streets and brand-new sports. _(Slide 08 · Exhibit G)_
- **DD-007-F08**: A Lunavity prototype was shown at SXSW 2018 in Austin, with no price or release date. _(Slide 09 · Exhibit H)_

## Write-up

This backpack lets you jump like you're on the Moon. It's a wearable drone built in Tokyo.

1. **Lunavity**: A wearable drone that holds up part of your weight while you jump. The name is a nod to the Moon.
2. **University of Tokyo**: Built by students from Jun Rekimoto's lab and unveiled in 2018.
3. **16 ducted fans**: A ring of electric fans above the wearer pushes air down for lift.
4. **Not a jetpack**: It doesn't fly you around. It lightens you, so every jump goes higher and lasts longer.
5. **No joystick**: It follows your body, so you just jump the way you normally would.
6. **Moon mode**: The goal: feel like you're walking on the Moon, where gravity is about 1/6 of Earth's.
7. **Slam dunks**: The team pitched it for dunking, jumping across streets and brand-new sports.
8. **SXSW 2018**: A prototype hit the show floor in Austin, with no price or release date.

## Related case files

- [Tilted Town (DD-035)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/tilted-town/): Another trick on your sense of gravity (moon-jump drone).
- [Solar Sailing (DD-039)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/solar-sailing/): Another trick for fighting gravity.
- [Grass Skiing (DD-074)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/grass-skiing/): Another invention that changes how moving over the ground feels: a wearable drone that makes jumping feel like the Moon.
- [Spacewalker (DD-652)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/spacewalker/): Another wearable flying machine

## Video: Lunavity: The University of Tokyo's Wearable Drone for Moon-Like Jumps

- Duration: 20 s · Published: 2026-09-03
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/Dc088_Qxpbx.mp4

### Transcript

Did you know? The University of Tokyo's Rekimoto Lab developed Lunavity, a wearable multi-rotor system designed to augment human jumping instead of simply flying the wearer. The backpack places a cluster of drone rotors above the user, generating upward thrust that partially counteracts body weight and creates the sensation of reduced gravity.

## Questions & answers

**Q: How many ducted fans does Lunavity use?**  
A: A ring of 16 electric ducted fans above the wearer pushes air down for lift. _(Source: Slide 04 · Exhibit C (16 ducted fans))_

**Q: Who built Lunavity?**  
A: Lunavity was built by students from Jun Rekimoto's lab at the University of Tokyo. _(Source: Slide 03 · Exhibit B (University of Tokyo))_

**Q: What does Lunavity actually do?**  
A: It isn't a jetpack: it lightens you, so each jump goes higher and lasts longer. _(Source: Slide 05 · Exhibit D (Not a jetpack))_

**Q: Lunavity aims to feel like the Moon. How strong is the Moon's gravity compared with Earth's?**  
A: Moon gravity is about 1/6 of Earth's. _(Source: Slide 07 · Exhibit F (Moon mode))_

**Q: Where did a Lunavity prototype hit the show floor?**  
A: A prototype was shown at SXSW 2018 in Austin, with no price or release date. _(Source: Slide 09 · Exhibit H (SXSW 2018))_

## Sources

- [Lunavity (official site)](https://lunavity.com/)
- [Takahashi et al. 2018, ACM ISWC (Lunavity paper)](https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3267242.3267270)
- [Rekimoto Lab: Lunavity project page](https://lab.rekimoto.org/projects/lunavity/)
- [CNBC (Mar 16, 2018): Lunavity is making a hover backpack that lets users float](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/16/lunavity-is-making-a-hover-backpack-that-lets-users-float.html)
- [The Verge (Mar 14, 2018): Lunavity hover backpack at SXSW 2018](https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/3/14/17117324/lunavity-hover-backpack-jump-augmentation-sxsw-2018)
- [C4ISRNET (Mar 15, 2018): What if the first use for jetpacks is logistics?](https://www.c4isrnet.com/industry/2018/03/15/what-if-the-first-use-for-jetpacks-is-logistics/)
- [Japan Media Arts Festival: Lunavity](https://www.bunka.go.jp/j-mediaarts-festival/en/award/single/lunavity/index-2.html)
- [NASA Science: Moon by the numbers](https://science.nasa.gov/moon/by-the-numbers/)
- [NASA NSSDC: Moon fact sheet](https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Gravity, or Lunavity?." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-007, last updated Oct 17, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/lunavity/