Babbage the teddy bear re-creates Baumgartner skydive

Babbage the bear may have broken Felix Baumgartner's freefall record.

(Credit: Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

It’s the coolest toy stunt since Canadian teens sent a Lego minifig 15 miles into the atmosphere.

A teddy bear named Babbage has sailed high above the Earth to re-create Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking skydive from last year, and may even have outdone the Austrian extreme daredevil.

The toy went up in an air balloon and fell from about 24 miles up, with reports saying it beat Baumgartner’s height by about 100 feet.

Controlled by a simple Raspberry Pi computer, Babbage is owned by Dave Akerman and was launched in Berkshire in the UK.

Related stories

• Canadian teens send Legonaut 15 miles into atmosphere
• Baumgartner makes record-setting skydive

Equipped with an overhead camera, it shot stills and video during its ascent in the hydrogen-filled balloon before jumping fr… [Read more]

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