Let’s call this one a really long shot. One Robert Haleluk has launched an IndieGogo campaign, hoping to raise $1 million, with the aim of developing a working hoverboard by 2015. Yes, that’s the same year that Marty McFly hops on the device in the movie. And no, it doesn’t plan to use some form of magnetic levitation (or whatever it is in the flick), but good ole propellers:
The boards would be constructed from a honeycomb carbon fiber to keep weight to a minimum. In terms of power source, Haleluk is looking at two promising new lightweight battery technologies – a Lithium-Air battery in development by IBM with the goal of powering a car for up to 500 miles on a single charge or a unique energy device being researched by Stanford which can store power in a sheet of paper with special ink infused with carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. Of course, neither of these technologies is in production yet, so that certainly creates a risk factor for the Hoverboard project. Current off-the-shelf battery technologies would likely be insufficient to lift a passenger for any meaningful period of time.
So we’re going to make another call here, and say that this isn’t just a long shot. It isn’t going to happen. The guy wants a cool million, just to possibly maybe find the technology that can make this a reality. And then to possibly perhaps assemble it all into a working product. Sure. Not to mention that the minimum pledge that will get you an actual hoverboard is $10,000! Yeah… we’re all for innovation and crowdfunding, but we like a little smidgeon of realism as well.
We’re not the only ones who think so; the project has raised $61 as of this writing.
[ Project Page ] VIA [ Technabob ]
I see stability as a major problem. It would be possible to control pitch by switching power between the propellers, but how do you control roll and yaw? I’m not getting on one of those things.
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it only needs a turbo engine powered by a nuclear fusion battery to fly … 🙂
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