The future, it appears, is well and truly here. Finally, the world's first working hoverboard is about to hit the market.
Made by the team at Hendo Hover in California, the project is listed on Kickstarter, where, as of November 21, the company had raised a total of $472,430, well surpassing its initial goal of $250,000.
Website: HendoHover
Named as one of Time Magazine's '25 Best Inventions of 2014', the Hendo Hoverboard looks similar to a futuristic skateboard and is able to levitate about an inch off the ground.
Its makers say currently the board can 'fly' for about 12-15 minutes before it requires re-charging. The hoverboard only works over conductive material like copper or aluminum, but improvements to the futuristic product are currently in development.
Hendo is producing only ten boards made-to-order initially. For a cool $10,000, you can become one of the chosen few able to zoom around like Marty McFly in Back to the Future II (well, not really, but it's the closest thing out there, anyway).
So, how does it work?
The hoverboard is powered by four disc-shaped hover engines, located on the underside of the board. The engines create an opposing magnetic field when the board is placed over a conductive surface, creating the lift that allows the rider to literally levitate.
As Time Magazine notes, the technology that powers the board has the potential to be revolutionary, as Hendo founders Jill and Greg Henderson plan to use some of their Kickstarter money to further develop their magnetic 'hover' technology. It is hoped it will eventually be able to stabilize buildings in the event of an earthquake, or even protect valuable works of art.
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