World famous local inventor Troy Hurtubise has died.
The OPP have confirmed that the 54-year-old was the man who died in Sunday’s collision along Highway 17 between North Bay and Sturgeon Falls that ended in an explosion and leaving the highway closed in both directions for hours.
See related: Highway 17 open after serious collision
See related: Flames visible in Highway 17 collision
The passionate inventor and naturalist was best known for making an impenetrable suit called the Ursus Mark VI that allowed him to feel safe around bears and run over by vehicles as depicted in a world-renowned 1996 documentary called "Project Grizzly."
See the documentary here.
Hurtubise has been renowned for his unique inventions including the Angel Light, which he claimed could see through walls, along with building bulletproof padding which could be magnetically attached to the sides of military vehicles.
However, the fanfare surrounding his bear suit had definitely fallen off in the past two years.
In April of 2016, Hurtubise announced he was going to build another bear suit and had set up a go-fund-me page in hopes of raising $500,000 to build a new suit which he called the Ursus Mark VIII.
That suit was on sale at North Bay's Hock Shop for $1,500, but store manager Jeff Hobbs told BayToday that it is no longer for sale, and will be kept as a display out of respect to Hurtubise. (See photo gallery)
Hurtubise wanted to do another documentary and re-live the experiences that had put him and North Bay on the international map. However, that fundraising fell well short of his goal.
In August of 2016, during his last interview with BayToday, Hurtubise unveiled what he called an “R-Light” which he claimed could cure male pattern baldness and could treat vegetable seeds so they can grow in harsh conditions like the rainforest with next to no light. See that interview below.
