LOS GATOS, Calif. (AP) – The more your knees quiver, the more the 90 pound board you’re perched on, floating above a pillow of air, seems about to shoot out from under your feet. A high-pitched engine scream bounces from the sheet of copper as you swivel and glide your way a few feet forward.
This is hoverboarding.
Skateboarding is going airborne this fall with the launch of the first real commercially marketed hoverboard which uses magnetics to float about an inch off the ground. The creators believe their technology will someday be used to transport large containers or hold buildings above earthquakes as the ground shakes below. But for now, it’s all about fun, as demonstrated in a recent practice session.
“You can very much tell that it’s frictionless so you just smoothly move along, and it’s odd because you can move in all directions,” said engineer Kyle O’Neil, seated on a copper ramp where they test their products wearing helmets and safety lenses.
But there are some catches. The Hendo currently only works for about 15 minutes before it needs recharging and can only operate over metal surfaces. And that price tag: $10,000.