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Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile barrier in 1954 with help from a couple of pacers, runners he closely followed till his final sprint. Sixty years later just about anyone could set a personal mile record—with help from a couple of jet engines strapped to their back.
1954年，在若干位领跑者（田径员紧跟到最后冲刺的人）的帮助下，罗杰·班尼斯特成功突破了1英里4分钟的大关。六年后，如果将若干个喷气式发动机绑在背后的话，几乎任何人都能打破这一英里赛跑记录。
The U.S. military wanted to find a way to help soldiers hoof it through hostile territory at high speeds without getting exhausted. They turned to Arizona State University’s Human Machine Integration Laboratory. Engineers there came up with an 11-pound battery-powered backpack with two electric engines. The engines spin at about 60,000 RPM, producing about 15 pounds of instantaneous thrust.
美国军方试图找到一个能使士兵高速穿过敌方领土而不至筋疲力尽的方法。他们向亚利桑那州立大学的人机一体化实验室求助。那儿的机械师们设计了一个背包，该背包重11磅，靠电池充电，配备着两个电动引擎。该引擎每分钟转动6万次，大约能够产生15磅的瞬间推力。
The researchers see the backpack as an alternative to outfitting soldiers with exoskeletons, which would have to be tailored to fit the individual soldier. The same jet backpack could be worn by anyone with few adjustments.
科学家将该背包作为身着外骨骼的士兵的备用物品，并为每个士兵量身定制。同样，喷气背包经过稍微调整后，任何人都可以穿。
The pack has yet to produce a sub four-minute miler, although one runner did trim 18 seconds off his best time. Of course, that guy wasn't running through a desert wearing 50 pounds of gear. Still, no one in a hurry would turn down a portable tailwind.
该背包还创造出又一个能够突破1英里4分钟大关的人，尽管跑步者确实将最短时间缩短了18秒。当然，该跑步者并没有穿着50磅的装备跑步穿过沙漠。不过，没人会急着拒绝这样一个便携式“顺风跑鞋”。
