Ok, the hoverboard has been invented, and you can buy one. Delivery in a year.
All right, not QUITE that simple, but intriguing technology nonetheless. Kind of "cheap maglev without some of the restrictions".
The designer has in mind putting it under houses so they can lift off the ground in earthquakes. And he wants "the world" to come up with ideas for actual uses - the hoverboard is really a just a novelty eye-catcher.
My vote is to put it under car seats. Then you get the ride quality benefit of magnetic suspension without altering the existing infrastructure of the car or the road. If I can think of that in 30 seconds (although someone can knock it down in ten no doubt) then with a bit of thought it could actually be interesting.
Just one of many links - Telegraph in this case - here:
www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11176528/At-long-last-scientists-create-a-real-hoverboard.html
And their actual Kickstarter page with videos and stuff (yes, you can pay for one right now, and I see someone in the last ten minutes actually has) is here:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/142464853/hendo-hoverboards-worlds-first-real-hoverboard
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>>My vote is to put it under car seats.>>
>>
You might need a tinfoil helmet for your gentlemen's equipment, or maybe cooking foil underpants may be adequate protection. :)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 21 Oct 14 at 15:28
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It'd need a longer battery life than 7 minutes to be much use.
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And we would need to pave all the roads and pavements in steel.
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Just to say that when I posted this, they had $7000 in funding via kickstarter. But that was two days ago. Now they have $283000.
Wish I could raise over a quarter of a million in two days. And they have 50 odd days to go yet. Blimey.
I suspect a market in producing tracks for it to run on - imagine a little pack of "scalextric" like tracks with straights and curves that slot together for domestic use. You lay the track between front door and kitchen, washing machine or whatever is delivered at door, ideally onto your hovering platform, then pushed along your track with one finger to the kitchen. Then you take up your tracks and put them in a box for next time, for example. Or same thing in a shop or warehouse.
A battery life of a few minutes is adequate for that kind of application, never mind with whatever improvements happen over the next few iterations of it.
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Roll up for your hoverboard - Old Navy
