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Hendo Hoverboard
p/hendo-hoverboardWorld's first REAL hoverboard (pre-launch)
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Bram Kanstein (@bramk)

Hendo Hoverboard - World's first REAL hoverboard (pre-launch)

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While the Hendo hoverboard is primarily intended to be human-driven, the technology that gives it stability can also be used to drive it via remote control by altering the projected force on the surface underneath it. Right now we use commonly available metals in simple sheets to give the hoverboard “flight”, but we are working on new compounds and new configurations to maximize our technology and minimize costs.

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Bram Kanstein (@bramk)
Hunter
I mean damn, this is the future, these guys are doing it. The hoverboard itself is $10K when backing this project. This is obviously way (waaaay) early, but check out the Verge's article and video on these guys, pretty amazing stuff. For $299+ you can back this project and receive the "Whitebox", which is a levitating box (obviously), that you can move around. I know this project is in an early stage but I'm really curious about what the PH community thinks! (next to drooling on the floor) I MEAN LOOK AT THIS
Andrew Zusman
@bramk The product looks amazing! ...the problem is that I've seen so many of these amazing looking products on Kickstarter that never actually come in to existence. There's a huge barrier to entry here in terms of price and it's impossible to know if this will ever actually launch. Hover boards aren't a new idea that is mind blowing and a must-have. It's an old idea that just hasn't actually been executed and at the risk of sounding old fashioned I just don't see how it's even an improvement over a skateboard. It looks cool, though, so good luck to them.
Max Wood
@bramk Yeah it looks quite cool but the object appears to be extremely light and it only works on metal surfaces.
Bram Kanstein (@bramk)
Hunter
@maxwood true, but I'll ride around something like this though:
Max Wood
@bramk Yeah but that's *if* the skatepark ever gets built - which won't be any time soon. Not forgetting that it'll only be one location and probably cost a fortune to make with all the special surfaces required. Edit: That being said - I'm more interested in other uses for this rather than a hoverboard.
Simon Dawlat
@bramk but how do you maneuver this thing... slides but how do you steer it?!
Alex Manthei
I think the hoverboard is a great way to get publicity and backers, but I wonder if the applications for this are more exciting and more practical for larger more static applications? They mention in the video, for instance, using this to totally earthquake proof buildings. Pretty freaking cool!
Bram Kanstein (@bramk)
Hunter
@xoalexo ^^ exactly, they also say a hoverboard appeals to a lot of people and it's a way for them to show their technology to a big audience, great vision!
Ross Currie
@bramk @xoalexo Yeah it's that phenomenal proof of concept that every big tech company wants. Something that has enough mass appeal to consumers that it goes viral, which in turn brings it to the attention of those that see the broader applications! The way they keep mentioning the building applications really shows that they've thought that aspect through. Cycloramic is another one that comes to mind.
Bram Kanstein (@bramk)
Hunter
@rossdcurrie @bramk @xoalexo yes cycloramic is a great example!
Ross Currie
@bramk @rossdcurrie @bramk @xoalexo Does anyone know what they're doing now that the iPhone 6 has rounded edges? I assume they've adapted the tech for another purpose
Alex Manthei
@rossdcurrie @bramk @rossdcurrie @bramk Take a look, it's amazing! They've figured out how to use the phone's charger to act as a base to still get the 360 motion: http://www.iclarified.com/44459/...
Max Wood
I've pledged $5 - just to ask a few questions. I'm more interested in the development kit but there's so little information and the images are contradictory about the actual size of the box. I'm wondering how powerful a single box it, what the final size will be, what documentation is provided, etcetc.
Ross Currie
@maxwood Yeah, I had messaged them too and suggested they need a bit more detail on WhiteBox vs WhiteBox+ - it's not real clear.
Max Wood
@rossdcurrie Oh yeah, hey! I see your comment on the page. Ah that kinda makes more sense actually, I guess the whitebox+ is what's shown on the lego examples. I want to take it apart though! :D
Ross Currie
@maxwood Yeah, he replied and said that the WhiteBox+ will basically be harder to rip apart.. a more polished commercial version, whereas the WhiteBox is for devs. The real reason I went the WhiteBox+ is just because it IS a bit more polished and has the app already built. It'll be a good party trick
Max Wood
Anton Troynikov
I am finding the physics hard to believe, and the fact that the page is mostly a bunch of product renders is worrying. My background is in EE - Lenz's law, the principle this is supposed to work by, says that a changing magnetic field (e.g. one that is moving) will induce an electric current in a conductor that will oppose the change in the magnetic field. Long story short, even if they're shaping the resulting field (I have no idea how they plan to do that without some groundbreaking active control) in a way to make objects levitate, they will need to keep dumping energy into the system to keep moving and keep hovering - no sort of battery that's 'hoverboard size' is going to be able to sustain a magnetic flux sufficient to support a person. The most likely explanation is that the conductive metallic surface they demonstrate on is creating a magnetic field, and their floating 'hoverdrives' are permanent magnets of some form, and the floating objects are very light. Until I've seen more convincing proof, I'm going to steer clear.
Ross Currie
@atroyn You need to watch some of the videos. They have independent videos filmed by tech/news sites such as engadget and theverge. Though the point about the base being magnetised is fair.
Ross Rojek
@atroyn That was my concern. While I do believe that breakthroughs happen, I also don't believe in the free energy lunch. Now the little floating boxes, those look cool. Can probably be used in many interesting ways. I just don't think you're going to get significant weight on anything like this.
Anton Troynikov
@rossdcurrie I've watched the videos, and it seems like every surface they demonstrated could have had some kind of power source under it. I guess I'm just a bit skeptical.
Ross Currie
@atroyn @rossdcurrie Yeah fair point - once you said it I had another look and I can see that. I was talking to the guys there earlier and they're well aware that they're going to have to release more videos to convince the skeptics. I think we saw an interesting precedent with Scribble where where the technology seems 'too good to be true'. Now that Hendo is up around 100k it'll be interesting to see if Kickstarter asks them to demonstrate evidence at all. @SacBookReviewer: Apparently the boxes weigh about 10lbs and can handle an additional 5lb load (source: Kickstarter comments): "So as of right now, we project our Whitebox to carry about 5 pounds, and it will weigh about 10 pounds itself. Thats also going to depend on the surface, and with a thicker copper surface it can carry more (right now we plan on shipping aluminum). These limits are to get this out there at the absolute lowest price possible. We hope though with enough support we can improve those, although users will be able to play with it an optimize it themselves!"
Ross Currie
@atroyn This video (featuring Buzz Aldrin) shows a much smaller/portable sheet of copper being used... It's pretty thin so I don't imagine much could be plugged into the bottom... however I do notice there's a piece of carpet running right up to it, so I guess there could be a cable hidden:
Ross Currie
Wow! I've seen a few hoaxes but the engadget video convinced me http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/... For those curious about how it works, it seems to be about permanent rare-earth magnets that rotate. No idea how the science works, but if you want the nitty gritty I dug up the patent: https://www.google.com/patents/U... Pretty excited to be the first backer for the Whitebox+. $699 & another $100 to ship to Australia, but seems pretty 'worth it' as far as I am concerned. This seems a bit like being one of the first to get an Occulus Rift or Google Glass. There's a whole range of applications beyond the simple hoverboard, and there's sure to be a great community popping up around this. Of course, that's all IF it's as awesome as they say
Dzuy Linh
I actually built a hoverboard in the same method that they're now using almost 4 years ago. My original concept was basically a disc of neodymium magnets, spinning over an electrically conductive plate (copper) and with enough movement and applying Lenz's law, the eddy currents induce the vertical lift. You just need motors with enough torque to keep the magnets moving fast enough. Here's a video I post in 2011 of my prototype:
Ross Currie
@dzuy Oh wow, yes, that does seem to be how they're doing it. You had the same concept 4 years back... what stopped you going forward with it?
Dzuy Linh
@rossdcurrie it's a nice fantasy but I couldn't see how it becomes commercially viable. Having to always be limited to some sort of platform is a deal breaker for it being useful and in most imaginable use cases, it's hard to beat the simple and much cheaper wheel. I do think it can be a novel toy of some sort though - maybe RC hoverboards on a racetrack or something of that nature and if these guys hit the timeline right (corresponding to Back to the Future), they can probably sell a bunch of toys to a lot of fans.
Jeremie Berrebi
Looks magical but it works on Metal only...
Ross Currie
@jberrebi When I get my hoverboard, I'm going to start a social crowdfunding campaign to coat our local council's sidwalks and bike paths with an appropriately conductive material. It'll be like solar streets but better. "Hoverboard" makes headlines, but I'm pretty sure a council supporting that missionwill make headlines too, particularly since mine is in the process of renaming itself South Park - "South Park to be the first city in the world to have hoverboard sidewalks". Yeah, that'll work. (South Park article: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-new...)
Ross Rojek
I don't know the math behind this, but it has to take a lot of energy to lift up a 200# person and keep them up. And when you start talking about using the same tech to keep buildings stable during earthquakes, the energy demand is going to skyrocket. Their next kickstarter is going to have to be for a Mr Fusion.
Anton Troynikov
@SacBookReviewer doing some back of the envelope maths on how much current they'll need to sustain an opposing magnetic field from the Lorentz effect, discounting whatever control systems are keeping the fields stable, it doesn't add up.
Ross Currie
Not to mention, there's only 10 available at 10k. You could buy one of these babies, charge $200 a ride and make your money back in no time.
Anton Troynikov
On a much more optimistic note:
Emiel Janson
This is cool!
Chris Gulczynski
... and the delivery date is Oct. 21 2015. Aside from a flying Delorean, this is the coolest thing I could hope for.
tom meagher
@xtopherpaul Speaking of the Delorean, its too bad this hover board was not real! http://huvrtech.com The video is great and they got @MCuban, @TonyHawk, Christopher Lloyd to support it:
Aaron Batalion
I got excited, until I read the surface below must be ferromagnetic. Maybe combine this and Solar Roadways (https://www.indiegogo.com/projec...) and we have a pretty fun toy for the real world. Otherwise it's pretty close to a theme park ride. I still want to ride one. :)
Eric Willis
Wow. This is super awesome. Just watched the video... great hunt @bramk
Omar El Amri
Guys, look beyond the skateboard application! This technology could change EVERYTHING. Imaging self-driving, hover-cars. All roads would be metallic. Imagine what a smooth ride that would be. And elevators! And trains! This could change transportation like never before, and other industries too! This is the beginning of something HUGE!
Rod Austin
Pretty slick! Hopefully they can deliver once funded.
Dane Lyons
I'm much more interested in the Whitebox developer kit. Sure a hoverboard would be fun but I think there is a lot of utility in little white hover cubes.
Dane Lyons
It would be awesome to design a physical RTS game with 2 opposing cube forces. Each cube has 2 vulnerable edges and 2 attack edges. If one of your cubes touches an attack edge to an opponents vulnerable edge, that cube is destroyed and removes itself from the field. Also, to make things a little less easy, if one of your cubes vulnerable edge touches another one of your cubes vulnerable edges, they are both destroyed. This prevents walling. Cubes could be controlled by mobile phones but I think it would be more interesting if you had to preprogram cube behavior and the only thing you could do during the even is toggle between scripts that effect all of your cubes.
Erik Torenberg
Bram - you are a hunter among hunters. we had a levitating speaker last month - http://www.producthunt.com/posts... what products will levitate next?
Joshua Dance
Looks awesome, but I think in real life kind of underwhelming? It only works on metal. You can't control your direction. A skateboard rolls only forward and back and tilting gets you side to side directional control. The Hendo glides in any direction, tilting won't provide much control. Maybe a small rocket pack to control?