SWAGTRON T3

EPIKGO

Razor Hovertrax 2.0

Segway miniPRO

SWAGTRON T1

HOVERZON S

Powerboard by HOVERBOARD

Hoverboards for sale are an interesting topic and invention that’s about to hit the open market with a wave of enthusiasm. For years we have been waiting for these ultimate gravity defying skateboards to be available to consumers. Ever since Back to the Future 2 and 3 came out everyone has been dreaming of the day when we too could glide through the air avoiding the general obstacles that are associated with a wheel bound skate board. Now, the wait is almost over as inventors have been testing and scoping out the possibilities. So far, there have been attempts and some successes, however, nothing yet developed that could come close to the endless power and lack of restrictions that the board that Marty McFly rode throughout the movie. Incidentally, there now three known models of hoverboards that actually work and lift off, but they differ greatly in their design, let us explain.

First, there is the Omni hoverboard, but instead of gliding on a bed of air, or using electromagnetic repulsion, it’s similar to a helicopter. However, the propeller is located underneath instead of on top, so basically you’re standing on a platform, held above the ground by a rotating propeller. What happens here is the air is pushed downward to create levitation. In addition, as with other models, you are not confined to where you can fly this hoverboard. You can fly it up, down, sideways, any which way, plus you can fly it over water as well as hard surfaces. Though the concept is flawless, there are some hidden downfalls. One in particular is the battery life. It’s basically operated like a quad copter, and charged like one. The batteries are heavy and they limit the height the hoverboard can fly and the length, which is basically a couple of minutes. Another downfall, it doesn’t look very safe, especially if you are operating it in a large crowd. Crashing this hoverboard in people inhabited areas could prove hazardous.

Another choice in hoverboards that will be available to the public is the Hendo. This particular skateboard does hover, and has been ridden by Tony Hawk himself. Unlike the Omni, this hoverboard utilizes magnetic repulsion to operate. Though this is an awesome concept, it only works over a conducting surface and how many areas do you know offer an electromagnetic surface area? Maybe, not many or if any now, but if these babies do get popular it’s a good possibility that there will be several areas to fly this skateboard. Another issue they are having with the Hendo, it doesn’t really operate like a skateboard and perhaps that is why they have recruited the help of Tony Hawk with the design. Who better to get to assist with skateboards than him?

Finally, the last model that hopefully will be available for purchase in the near future is the Lexus hoverboard. It also uses magnetic repulsion for lift off, however, instead of changing magnetic fields like the Hendo does, it uses superconductors, which basically creates the same effect but the magnets are in the ground and the superconductor is incorporated into the board. This specific model of hoverboard also resembles a skateboard more than all the others, it’s also much lighter. But, because of the surface required for it to work, you’re basically confined to certain areas.

Of course, there are other boards that they consider hoverboards though they aren’t defying gravity or floating. The Hoverboard 360 Smart Balance is a good example. Though you may feel like you’re flying, you’re actually connected to the ground.  It’s a two-wheel, motorized, balancing board. It’s certainly not like any skateboard you’ve ever seen and quite popular. One of the great advantages of the 360 Smart Balance is the distance it can travel without needing to be recharged. It can go 12 miles and only takes 3-4 hours to recharge.

Another great choice for a skateboard with bells and whistles that also simulates the feeling of a hoverboard is the Hoverboard. Yes, that is what it’s called. At this time it’s only available in a pre-order status, and as we might add, highly pricey. It comes in several models; Lite, Semi, Full, Beta, and the Early Alpha Prototype, which is already sold out. In short, it’s a one wheeled hover board with Bluetooth capabilities depending on the model. The Semi and the Full model have a charge time of 16 minutes and can travel up to 12 miles, whereas, the Lite version can only travel 6 miles, and has a charge time of 45 minutes. The Beta has the capability to travel 20 miles with a charge time of 30 minutes; so really, it depends on what you’re looking for and how much you want to pay. LED lights are also available on the Full and Beta. Downfall of this hoverboard, it won’t be available until at least July 2016.

If you are in the market for a hoverboard it’s imperative that you weigh in all the pros and cons associated with all the available models. If you’re head strong on actually flying over the surface without touching, then you’ll have to limit yourself to the amount of time you can use it, and also the limited areas where you can ride it. Other alternatives offer longer battery life and we are sure, just as fun as, or more so than flying over the surface. Plus, if money isn’t an option, then go for the best available.  As hoverboards step into our realm, they are going to constantly evolve into an ideal smooth flying hovering machine, and maybe that will be worth waiting for. However, if you are like us and lack patience, by all means experience what’s available now. The perfect model will eventually come about, and we will all look back and say to ourselves “Remember when?” just like we said about Atari when Xbox came out. It can only get better with time and technology.

The History of Hoverboards

If you think about it, the first hoverboard came to life in 1953. It was developed by Hiller aircraft and was known as the “Flying Platform”. It was a direct lift rotor aircraft propelled by contra-rotating fans. To operate the aircraft, the pilot would shift his weight to determine the direction the aircraft would move. There were a total of six of these hover platforms created and they are still, to this day displayed in museums.

Then, when the box office movie “Back to the Future II” came out, Marty McFly ventured forward to the year October 21, 2015 and discovered the ultimate hovering skateboard, which, if you recall was referred to as a hoverboard. Though, that version of a hoverboard was completely fiction, it certainly caught the attention of inventors. We are now past the date October, 21, 2015, and there aren’t any mass quantities of flying skateboards or cars dominating the future, however, that doesn’t translate to their non-existence; it’s just an indication that they aren’t readily available for the public just yet.

For many years there have been several substantial ideas for creating hoverboards or hovercrafts, and the concepts were actually quite simple. One was similar to that popular game, air hockey, where a puck effortlessly glided over a cushion of air that lay between the table and the round disk. It also incorporated a cushion of air into the design and was also capable of supporting weight. However, you can’t really consider it a gravity defying design, which technically is what a hoverboard does.

Another idea was to incorporate magnets into the design. For instance, have you ever taken two magnets and tried to attach them to each other? It’s virtually impossible if they have the same polarity, and instead of attracting to each other, they actually repel one another, hence the repulsion theory. However, creating a hoverboard that operated on repulsion required an additional surface with the same magnetic polarity as the hoverboard, plus a lot of other expensive stuff in order to work properly. This actually was accomplished in 2008 by Nils Guadagnin, an artist who designed a perfect replica of the “Back to the Future” hoverboard. Though extremely cool, it was confined to its base and could not functionally carry weight. Then, in 2011 another model was developed at the Paris Diderot University. It was capable of supporting 220 lbs. but was confined to a track, which is great for a train, but not for a functional hoverboard. Actually, there has been a train invented that hovers over a track using magnetic repulsion. It’s referred to as the Maglev, which is short for magnetic levitation. Last tested, it was capable of reaching speeds up to 311 mph. Now if only we could engineer that technology into a flying skateboard.

For a while the thought of an actual hoverboard ever existing became tiresome. Everybody talked about them, but no one could actually develop one that was functional, could support the weight, and didn’t have to be tethered to a track in order to operate. Then, in March of 2014 a video surfaced, featuring the ultimate in hoverboards ridden by none other than Tony Hawk himself. This particular video that was seen on YouTube, Facebook, and other social media networks created a revolutionary firestorm. The video itself had over 16 million views and featured several people demonstrating how the hoverboard worked. Unfortunately, this video turned out to be a complete hoax and shattered the dreams of many hoping to own this one of a kind flying skateboard. After that, In October 2014 a California company known as Arx Pax finally created a functional hoverboard called the Hendo that used the magnetic levitation similar, but different than what the trains use. However, the downfall to this particular model was it needed to be operated on a metal conductive field and would only fly for 3 minutes before needing a recharge. Not much time to experience a gravity defying thrill ride.

Awkwardly enough, the next model created was engineered out of leaf blowers. Yes, you heard me right, leaf blowers. The funny thing was, it actually worked and could support 160 lbs. This particular hoverboard could be purchased as a kit for around $420. In addition, it did not require a metal conductive field to operate, which was a plus if riding leaf blowers was your thing.

May 2015 proved to be a giant leap in hoverboard history as it also created a world record for the most air-time on a propeller-powered hoverboard. Catalin Alexandru Duru, a Canadian inventor, created his very own hoverboard in 12 months using propeller power. He was able to hover 10 feet above water and travel 900 feet. It could have been longer, but he was at the mercy of his batteries, which didn’t last very long.

In the summer of 2015 a new hoverboard emerged. It was compared to the video hoax in 2014 because the critics say they have never witnessed anyone ride it. So, later that summer, Lexus recruited pro skater Ross McGouran to take it for a spin and finally put to rest the hoax rumors. However, just like many of the previous inventions, this particular model also tethered the rider to a specific area where required magnets were set in place; this made it an impractical form of transportation and limited your travel possibilities.

Finally, in October 2015, Arx Pax came out with details regarding a second Hendo model that was similar in design to the original, but was equipped with more bells and whistles, like longer battery life, a USB port, a thinner design, and an emergency easy on and off switch.

Today, the future of functional hoverboards is guaranteed. Technology is constantly improving, and with lots of trial and error it will eventually be mastered. If you recall, Orville and Wilbur Wright didn’t succeed the first time they set out to create a flying machine, and no one thought it would ever happen, but it did. It’s the same with hoverboards, and just like the old VHS machines, wheels will become obsolete, and we will find ourselves living in a generation of nothing but flying machines for transportation.