gopolks said:
A few years ago I came on this board after Mattel released a prop replica. I suggested maybe a real Hoverboard will be invented. I was told in no uncertain terms, that I was talking science fiction and this was a Physics forum.
With Hendo announcing today a 2.0 version of their hoverboard. How did it go for being science fiction to fact.
What advancements were made? Yeah I know it won't work outside etc etc. But to get to this point this quickly seems pretty amazing.
It turns out there really is such a thing as a levitating skateboard. Indeed, it is possible to make a low-tech version yourself. All you have to do is cut a circle of plywood and drill a hole in it. Strap a leaf blower to your back. Stick the blower's output into the hole.
Hoverboard! You can't do much with it other than go straight down a hill, but hoverboard sho nuff. A more polished version is available from
MrHoverboard.
The most practical design so far might be a hoverboard that powered by a Jet Ski. Connect a hose from the exhaust from the ski to a wakeboard. Those Back To The Future moves are available on this thing.
It looks like a ton 'o fun, and if you already own a Jet Ski then it should be quite cheap. Unless it is too hard or too dangerous to do, it's a surefire hit with the thrillseeker crowd of wake and kite boarders.
Truly levitating hoverboards with superconducting magnets are available. One is made by
Hendo. The big disadvantage is that it only levitates over a sheet of copper or something like that. It also makes a horrible noise. But it works, and it would be possible to build a skatepark out of copper. You can always wear earplugs.
Japan automobile company Toyota has gotten into the act with its own
Lexus superconducting hoverboard. Nope, this video is not a fake, that skate park really exists in Cubelles, Spain. What it doesn't show you is that there is an electromagnetic track under the concrete and water. So the board only levitates over that, and all you can do is follow the track. The hoverboard is difficult to balance on to ride, and can't be steered. But it's a start. And those nitrogen vapors coming out of the board are, well, supercool.
