Hoverboards: Science or Science Fiction?

The first real mention of the hoverboard appeared in the 1986 animated movie The Transformers: The Movie, but didn’t gain popularity until the 1989 release of the movie Back To The Future II. Basically a hoverboard is a skateboard without wheels that hovers above the ground; this has become a cultural icon and has experienced huge popularity. People have dreamed about gliding through the streets on one, and many different versions of this board have been thought up and featured in movies and TV shows. A couple of examples are in Spider Man III, where Harry (AKA the New Goblin) uses a hoverboard under the name of the Sky Stick, and in Treasure Planet Jim uses a hoverboard-like device called a Solar Surfer.

Many people might ask, exactly how does a hoverboard work? Well, there are many different theories about how to make the board float, so there are different answers varying from 'plasmagnetic technology' to 'forcefield air-cushion technology', but since eletromagnetic technology seems to be the most popular, and most feasible, we'll look at that one.

“A hoverboard is a board that has magnets on the bottom. The reason that it has magnets is so it can propel itself upward with the magnetic pull in the ground. The way that they propel themselves upward is the same way two north magnets deflect from each other."

Hoverboards have fascinated people, and it wasn’t long before the government decided to try and build one. They tried using an air-propelled effect, sort of like how an air hockey table works, using air coming from tiny holes in the surface to make the puck glide across the surface, only the air was coming from the board pushing against the surface. They also tried magnetic forces, strapping magnets onto the board and placing a magnetic surface beneath it, making the two magnets repel and making the board hover.

While both of these ideas did work in their attempt to make the board hover, some weren’t able to hold up human weight, and when they did it was extremely difficult to balance, and one person even got injured while trying to ride one. No effect has ever been achieved like in the popular movie Back To The Future II because of the instability of the board, but there are still research and experiments with hoverboard prototypes going on to this day, so a hoverboard might be coming in the near future.

Some have asked, are there any prototypes being made? Well, while this may not be a prototype, Mattel has created a replica of the hoverboard used in Back To The Future II. Although it doesn’t actually hover like it does in the movie, it is said it will ‘glide’ over most surfaces. Are there other prototypes? Absolutely!

While a hoverboard that is able to be ridden hasn’t been made yet, a very close prototype has been made by French sculptor Nils Guadagnin. Looking much like the hoverboard in the movie Back To The Future II and using electromagnets and a laser to stabilize itself, he has invented the first ever working hoverboard, coming closer to the hoverboard people have dreamed of ever since the movie premiered.

Here’s how it works:

“Two electromagnets are located in the plinth onto which the hoverboard is placed. The board itself has two electromagnets inside it, and the two repel each other. A laser inside the hoverboard links the two and makes sure they remain stable enough to keep it 'afloat'. It can carry a weight up to 2kg and can only move up and down.”

While it’s only a prop, or a prototype, depending on how you want to look at it, Guadagnin says it’s a “good start.” He goes on to say, “Most people have said that it is really really cool and have asked if it can do more. Their first reaction is to ask if they can get on it. I would like to make a track with a series of magnets on it and with more strength so somebody could skate along, like Marty McFly does in the film. We are developing a levitation system that can handle 10kg, so I can imagine the day when we can support a human.”

So to answer the question: Are hoverboards real? Yes. Is there a hoverboard that’s been invented that can be ridden by a person? Not yet. Will one ever be invented? Only time can tell, but I’d say yeah, it’s definitely possible. After all, the movie Back To The Future II takes place in 2015, which is only three years away! Who knows, maybe within the next few years we’ll all be flying around the streets on hoverboards. With the rising cost of fuel, it would be more energy efficient, and more fun!

Sources

• How do hoverboards work?
• The Real Back to the Future Hoverboard