COCONUT CREEK, Fla. — Some see jet packs as symbolic of sci-fi fantasy as teleportation devices and Rosie, the Jetsons' robot maid.

But the future is now.

On a recent Saturday, spectators gathered outside the Seminole Coconut Creek (Fla.) Casino for a jet pack demonstration from one of the manufacturers of the motorcycles of the skies.

"I've been a fan of the jet packs since the '60s," said Dave Votau, 58, who had his digital camera ready. "It's the first time I've seen any of these live."

Minutes before the launch, rocket man Eric Scott, 45, smoked his pre-flight cigarette like he has done almost 700 times before. He has flown for 16 years now. "I've always been an adrenaline junkie," Scott said.

The pack, which weighs 135 pounds, looks much like what was imagined by generations of science-fiction writers. Two large tanks of fuel filled with a potent hydrogen peroxide mixture are sewed onto a backpack. On takeoff, steam shoots toward the ground. Scott hovers, then shoots up in the blink of an eye — just like in the movies.

"I want to do it. I thought it was awesome," said Margate, Fla., resident Michael Kelly. "I don't see him riding that thing on his way to work with a briefcase, but that was awesome."

The Denver-based company Scott works for, Go Fast Jet Pack International, uses the jet pack as a promotional gimmick for the energy drink it sells. In the summer, Scott travels every weekend from Brazil to London to state fairs across the Midwest.

The jet pack mystique has been entrenched in pop culture since the 1960s, when the king of gadgets and cool, James Bond, sported a jet pack in the movie "Thunderball." There have been several attempts over the years to create affordable jet packs for sale to the public. Go Fast is working on one now.

But for now, those who have fantasies of speeding over cars on Interstate 95 may have to pay the $200,000 that Go Fast estimates one would cost. Also, the packs only run for about 11 to 30 minutes, hardly enough time to get to work.

A member of the next generation, which may see the devices in action, was at the show. Kenny Evans, 22, brought his son, Corey Evans, 4, to get a close-up view.

"He's been asking me about this since last night," Kenny Evans said. "He said he wants to be the rocket man."