It is the most wanted movie item ever – the hoverboard from the Back To The Future series. Although many predicted that they would become a reality since the films were first released back in the 1980s, they never materialised much to the sadness of a legion of fans and a generation of moviegoers. Not so any more. A group of US bright sparks has designed their own hoverboard and is now seeking a kickstarter-funded $250,000 to take this prototype to the next stage.
Arx Pax in Los Gatos, California are now offering the real thing – the Hendo board. It looks pretty effin’ cool and it really does hover. So what is the catch? Well, it only hovers over certain materials, namely metal, as it uses magnets to hold itself around 3cm above the ground, much in the same way as the incredibly fast Maglev trains work.
“About two years ago, we began investigating magnetic field architecture (MFA) and hover technology as a better way to build, move people and move materials,” explains Arx Pax founder Greg Henderson.
“During our research, we discovered a way to transmit electromagnetic technology that is far more efficient than anything else.
“This means that our patent-pending Hendo Hover Engine technology can enable platforms to hover over non-ferrous materials with payloads of virtually any size and weight.”
So it can carry a number of people, but will be no good for racing around town, commuting to work or escaping from baseball bat-wielding thugs then.
The Hendo has no way to move itself across surfaces currently – it certainly doesn’t have any ‘power’ like Biff and co in the 1989 movie sequel – and it can only hover above the ground for around 15 minutes. But it is a pretty impressive step forward towards creating a real life board, we think.
The cost is not insignificant though. Donations to the crowd-funding Kickstarter campaign start at $5 but if you want your very own board then you’ll have to find $10,000 lying down the back of the couch. Cool does not come cheap!
Photo: via YouTube
