Hoverboards are on the path to becoming a reality; thanks to Greg Henderson, creator of Hendo Hoverboard, who has come up with a working prototype and also managed to raise about half a million dollars on Kickstarter.
The prototype works by making use of electromagnets and is capable of hovering at an inch from the ground. As of now, the board can only hover over metal surfaces and therefore, Mr. Henderson is working on creating the world’s first hover park that will be similar to a conventional skate park, however, it shall come with an aluminum floor.
Henderson has also given his word on enhancing the technology so that it can be used upon any kind of surface such as on water, etc.The goal was to raise $250,000 on Kickstarter, however, the amazing gadget has managed to raise $437,000 and fundraising shall be ending in December this year. The team is expected to launch the product commercially in December, 2015.
Till that happens, the company Arx Pax is working on the 18th prototype that has 4 electromagnetic engines allowing the hoverboard to float above the floor with a clearing of 1 inch. The user can use their bodyweight to move in any particular direction. According to Mr. Henderson, “This is not the end, this is just the beginning of where this technology can go. The wheel has served us very, very well, and we’re not taking the wheel head on, but there are certain places where this may be more appropriate than the wheel. Last month the Wikipedia entry for Hoverboard said this was a fictional device. It doesn’t say that anymore.”
Mr. Henderson thought of this idea while he was busy working on ways to design a structure that could withstand earthquakes in a better way. It was during this particular research that he devised a method to employ electromagnetic fields to separate any building from the ground when a catastrophe struck.
Maglev trains make use of the same technology, however, the cost of laying down a track for them is $750,000 per meter whereas the technology devised by Mr. Henderson costs $10,000 per meter.
The company is selling the technology for $299 in a box called Hover Engine developer kit. With this approach, the buyers will be able to take the Hover tech and use it with anything that they want to hover on. It can manage 18 kg and has a battery time of 7 minutes.
The company’s Kickstarter page reads, “We want to see what you can do with our technology. You can use it for hovering, or for applications we haven’t even imagined.” Buyers can also purchase the Hendo Hoverboard for a price tag of $10,000. The team is working on G-ray as well – a smartphone app to control the Hoverboard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plwX5NtF530