There Is Now a Real-life Hoverboard You Can Preorder for $10,000
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
This article originally appeared in Business Insider.
It may rely on magnets, but there’s finally a real-life hoverboard that isn’t just a marketing hoax.
It’s called the Hendo hoverboard, and you can currently preorder one on Kickstarter for $10,000.
The Hendo relies on the simple concept of using magnets to levitate the hoverboard over a metal surface, but the requirement of a special surface means you won't be floating over water or concrete any time soon.
Founded by Jill and Greg Henderson, the Hendo uses their proprietary Magnetic Field Architecture system to focus the magnetic field so that the board can support the rider and cause the Hendo to hover over a 1-inch cushion of air.
The Hendo does currently exist as a prototype, and the Hendo team even dreams of building of a skate park specifically designed to work with the hoverboard. You can even get a brick engraved with your name in their “hoverpark” for donating $59.
In order to be funded, the Hendo will need to raise $250,000 by Dec. 15, but it’s already on its way with more than $8,000.
The Hendo team is aiming to launch the hoverboard next October, but if you’re anxious to get your hands on the technology behind the Hendo, you can donate $449 for a non-working Hendo replica, or $299 for a Hendo Whitebox developer kit.
The Whitebox developer kit includes a “Hendo hover engine” packaged inside of a white box, along with enough surface material to keep it afloat. You can watch it hover on its own, but the Hendo team also encourages people to take it apart and use its hover engine to create their own levitating products.
A more advanced version of the Whitebox, the $699 Whitebox +, also includes technology to control the Whitebox like a remote-controlled vehicle, allowing you to use your smartphone to control the propulsion.
To read more about the technology behind the Hendo, or to pledge, head on over to the official Kickstarter page.
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