Back To The Futurists Rejoice, The First Hoverboard is Here!

It was a dream of every kid and adult who saw ‘Back to the Future II’ to own a hoverboard. The fun hoverboard from the 1989 movie grabbed the imagination of generations to come. In the movie, Marty McFly and the Doctor reach the future using their DeLorean time machine. The movie was set in 2015, which is just around the corner and fans of the movie were disappointed to not see any of the technology from the movie. Well, innovators at a company called Hendo are making sure that we hold our heads high when we enter the year 2015 gliding on our hoverboards.

Yes, you heard that right, they are real now. Pop open that champagne bottle as it has been over 20 years now, it sure will taste good. Inventor Greg Henderson has created hovering technology that he calls Magnetic Field Architecture (MFA). Using the technology, you can practically get everything hovering and a hoverboard is the bare minimum that MFA can achieve.

The Hendo hoverboard uses magnetic levitation principle similar to the one used in Maglev trains. The device hovers 1-inch above the ground, that is good for a start. The board looks bulky, but its design is sleek and sexy. The device is capable of integrating with the natural movement of the rider.

Mr. Henderson says that skateboards are least of his concerns. He sees a hovering future for the world where entire buildings can be lifted from their foundations to protect them from earthquakes. He sees transportation taking the hover route and ditching wheels altogether. The company even offers a Whitebox developers kit that holds miniature hover engines. Using this, people can create their own hovering prototypes.

You can use the miniature engines from Whitebox to create your own hovering prototypes.

Hendo has gone way past its goal of $250,000 and is standing at $474,171 right now on its Kickstarter with 23 more days to go. The asking price for the actual hover board is a hefty $10,000. The company will also be investing in a Hoverpark where folks can try out these new bad boys.

It is exciting to know that we are catching up to sci-fi, and we are using those technology to solve real world issues. Have to say, a world of digital devices is great but it has turned us into screen sloths. Now with cool hoverboards, we would actually appreciate the outdoors more often. Come over Marty, we are finally ready for you.

Here’s professional skateboarder Tony Hawk taking the hoverboard for a spin: