The Hoverboard DOES Exist

Some amazing technology breakthroughs happened this year (which you can check out here), but I don't think it gets any cooler than the hoverboard. It's about time it got out there. Probably won't be available to purchase for awhile, but when it is, it'll be the next big thing, for sure.

Note, this is not a scam like when Tony Hawk tried to pull our leg.

Here it is in case people don't want to click through 15 pages of adds

I'm assuming the floor is magnetic or has some sort of repelling force. Hoverboards wouldn't work, you cant treat all streets, pavements etc. with the same thing. Its a nice idea, much like the flying cars of the future (A la Jetsons) but we will never see it, at least not in our lives.

The magic behind the hoverboard lies in its four disc-shaped hover engines. These engines induce an opposing magnetic field in the surface substrate below that provides lift, levitating our board off the ground.

While our hoverboard is primarily intended to be self-propelled, the actions which stabilize it can also be used to drive it forward by altering the projected force on the surface underneath it.

a reply to: ScribbledOnANotePad24

Hover board doesn't exist the company sells magnets you cool them and tada it hovers above the metal plate. They will sell you the engines to play with magnets and all you do is add dry ice.

a reply to: ScribbledOnANotePad24

At least second time around for this news story which me thinks is overblown a tad. A true hoverboard would be a little anti-gravity device or at least have the ability to repel dirt, concrete and asphalt. Note the story has a clever way of to avoid mentioning the composition of the repelling floor surface.

Yet, is it any different in allure than a pair of roller blades, skateboard or roller skates? Nope. It will be the new thing to have. "Build it (a metallic rink,obstacle course, or Olympic event) "...and they will come."

I say, buy stock in the company, pronto. Before long there will be "repelling surfaces" stretching the length of the famous California boardwalk. The gizmo may hum a bit, but it will sail like a bird even with a hefty backpack of batteries adding to your weight. What a nice dream.

a reply to: Aliensun

Problem is you only get a couple of minutes.

Yes...I was super pumped to fly around on a hoverboard like back to the future, then build a star wars hoverbike Ewok-rocket to race around on, then I saw they just made a mag lev type tech. Not really new tech..major let down!
Man, they sure brought in the crowd sourced funds for it though.

From what I have read, it only works on a smooth non-ferrous smooth surface such as aluminum or copper. As far as replacing the customary skateboard, it needs a lot more work.

a reply to: dragonridr

LOL.. That is not even close to how this specific hoverboard works.

The hoverboard works using Eddy Currents which exists because of Lenz's Law.

The hoverboard will only work when it is above a conductive surface such as copper or aluminium. The better the conductor the better the hover.

The "hover engines" are simply spinning magnets which induce a current in the conductive surface below them, which then creates an opposing magnetic field and forms the repulsion. The boards also have microcontrollers in them which detect the height of the hoverboard above the surface, and if it is too low it will spin the magnets faster to create a stronger magnetic field, and raise the hoverboard higher.

If it was just a simple magnet on the board, and on the floor, it would flip over the second you turn it on. If it was just a superconductor which needs to be cooled, then you would never be able to control the hover height when someone with a different weight gets on the board, and it would only last a few minutes until the superconductor cools.

This is a real option. If we can pave roads with copper, we could see hovercars and hoverbikes. However, I think the biggest concern is turning and stopping. Of course, there is that whole paving roads with copper thing.