Hoverboards are here McFly!

[Spyder78]

 

BY BRANDIN TYRRELEver since Back to the Future Part II introduced us to the notion of a board that hovers effortlessly through the air, it's been a desired piece of future tech. Today, a working hoverboard prototype has been revealed, taking another step toward making that fascination a reality.

Arx Pax, a small California-based tech company, has introduced its take on hoverboard technology with the Hendo. Named for founders Greg and Jill Henderson, the Hendo utilizes a proprietary technology called Magnetic Field Architecture, similar to the core principles that run magnetic levitation trains.

The catch is the current design requires specialized metallic surfaces to achieve lift, meaning you won't be able to ride it to school or escape Biff's gang of bullies just yet. The Hendo is also battery powered, providing a reported 7 minutes of ride time on a full charge.

The end goal is to have a production version of the Hendo ready by October of 2015, which will cost $10,000 USD, and can be purchased through the company'sKickstarter campaign -- though supplies are extremely limited. Additionally, funds collected from that campaign will go toward a specially designed hoverpark that will host the grand unveiling next year.

However, Arx Pax sees the Hendo as just one aspect of its technology, emphasizing applications could span the gamut from making a board hover, to allowing a building to ride out an earthquake.

Part of its goal in bringing this tech out of the future and into everyday life is by offering potential supporters a small developer kit, the Whitebox, which is designed to be taken apart and analyzed.

For a larger contribution, the Whitebox+ offers both hover and propulsion control through an application on your smartphone, but cannot be taken apart.

Tony Hawk Rides a Back to the Future Hoverboard

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Earlier this year, word of a "real" hoverboard hit the internet in a star-studded promotional video that turned out to be a prank by the folks at Funny or Die. And though Doc Brown hasn't put his seal of approval on the Hendo, this time it seems to be the real thing.

The iconic hoverboard from Back to the Future 2 that started the craze went up for auction this month, valued at approximately $25,000, which seems a steep price in light of recent events. 

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/10/21/hoverboards-are-real?utm_campaign=fbposts&utm_source=facebook

 

[McLeod]

wait, so Back To The Future's 2015 may be real!?

[Smacktalks]

Not exactly, you need a metal surface for it to work on but it's still going on my Christmas list!

[Fozy]

Yeah, it's a bit shit. Pretty sure he uses it on friggin water. What is this shit.

[Aero]

$10,000? I'd rather buy a car cheers