NASA has been running trials on a prototype airscooter - a jetpack-like device propelled by fans - to determine if it could really be a viable mode of transport.

If successful, the airscooter trial at Nasa's Ames research center in California could form another stepping stone in the development of personal, individual aircraft that allow commuters to speed over traffic jams, doctors to fly to emergencies and soldiers to leapfrog minefields.

The SoloTrek Exo-skeletor Flying Vehicle (XFV) is designed to allow a pilot to stand upright, with fans 3ft in diameter above his head that lift him into the sky, allowing flight at speeds of up to 80mph for up 1Å hours on a tank of petrol.

Its designer, Michael Moshier, a former US Navy fighter pilot, sees it as the ultimate form of transport. "The time has come for an aircraft like the SoloTrek and we couldn't be more excited about what the future holds," he said.

His company, Millennium Jet, has been developing its designs for three years with assistance from Nasa.

A similar craft, the Rocket Belt, was developed in the 1970s and was similar to the one featured in the James Bond film Thunderball. But it could fly for only 30 seconds before running out of fuel.

The NASA tests will see if fan engines can provide the power to lift the craft's own weight and that of a pilot. An engine will be tested in a wind tunnel, where its lift force can be accurately assessed.

William Warmbrodt, head of the Aeromechanics Branch at Nasa Ames, said: "Nasa is interested in further developing vertical flight technologies, from large transports to personal systems.