He devised his first prototype and flew it in the 1950s, and only after 4 years it got released by Bell, in the US. Capra also thinks that modern automobiles are “a disgrace,” because their low actual efficiency is due to carrying one ton besides the payload. For every liter of consumed gasoline, only 20 grams are used to carry one passenger.
Capra designed 70 prototypes of fuel-efficient vehicles, 7 unconventional flying machines and 15 alternative engines. None of them have been patented internationally, though. The jet pack was designed as a means to escape the communist regime without being seen.
Watch his ideas and history in the video below: