Hoverboards Catching Some Air: Photos
Marty McFly's hovering skateboard isn't here yet. But it's almost here, and that counts for something, right?
Now and again, the technology world will surprise you. Fifteen years into the new millennium -- amid radical advances in robotics, A.I. and biotech -- one of the year's hottest trends is … hoverboards? Yeah, kinda. The Hendo hoverboard, pictured here, is one of several projects riffing on Marty McFly's futuristic skateboard from "Back to the Future" movies.
GET MORE:
The
is entirely legit, as far as it goes: The device uses proprietary magnetic field technology to elevate a no-wheels skateboard about one inch above a copper-plated half-pipe surface.
GET MORE:
Unbelievable Cliff Dives: Photos
Big companies like Lexus are getting into the act. The luxury car maker's
project is a prototype hoverboard that uses special tracks with magnets embedded into the ground.
GET MORE:
A variation on the theme, this one-wheeled contraption from aptly-named
uses an electric motor and internal gyroscope to give riders a range of 12 miles at up to 16 mph.
GET MORE:
The
takes the essential idea and miniatures it, with a playset for kids that features a quarter-inch levitation surface. The company's motto? "Wheels Not Included."
GET MORE:
Invariably described as a "hands-free Segway," the Dutch device known as the Oxboard is one of
several self-balancing scooters
jostling for position in the marketplace.
GET MORE:
French extreme sports outfitter
goes in another direction with their water-powered hoverboard, which uses a firehose-type propulsion system attached by hose to launch riders up to 16 feet above the waves.
GET MORE:
Earlier this month, NASA made
that suggests hoverboard technology has truly arrived. The space agency is partnering with Arx Pax, maker of the Hendo hoverboard, to develop new kinds of satellite technology. Specifically, NASA wants to use the company's Magnetic Field Architecture system to manipulate tiny satellites in orbit -- without actually touching the delicate spacecraft.
GET MORE:
When a startup outfit called HUVr Tech recently released their
, it looked as if real hoverboard tech had finally arrived. The video shows riders floating on hoverboards several feet above L.A. streets, with testimonials from skateboard ambassador Tony Hawk and "Back to the Future" star Christopher Lloyd. Alas, the video was eventually revealed as a Funny or Die prank.
GET MORE: