Hendo Hover develops ‘Back to the Future’ hoverboard

MANILA, Philippines – If you’ve seen the movie “Back to the Future” then Hendo Hover’s newest breakthrough is going to excite you.

The world’s first real hoverboard has just been developed by Hendo Hover, and although it lifts just about an inch off the ground there is no doubt it’s indeed floating.

Forbes.com reported the technology was developed by architect Greg Henderson.

Henderson was looking for a way to create buildings that can withstand earthquakes and eventually discovered the use of electromagnetic fields to separate the building from the ground during an earthquake.

The architect later on realized the technology can be used in transportation, and that’s how the Hendo Hoverboard came about.

A report on RT.com said the hoverboard only operates on surfaces not attracted to magnets, is noisy, and can only stay floating for roughly 7 minutes. 

Funding the Hoverboard

The project is on Kickstarter and aims to raise $250,000 by December 2014.

Hendo said it opted to launch a Kickstarter campaign with it wanted the public to be “an integral part” of its story. 

“Our supporters not only have financial buy in, but an almost spiritual buy in as well, not just for the technology but for the ultimate vision of Hendo – a place where anyone with ‘naive daring’ can approach the ‘impossible’,” the company added.

A minimum of $1 pledge is required to back the project, but for varying amounts you have any of the following: 

For $100, a 5-minute ride on the hoverboard which pledgers may claim on the company’s area at Silicon Valley.

For $299, the Whitebox Developer Kit where a pledger gets “a Hendo hover engine set and enough surface to hover it on,” plus other goodies.

Other details of pledge amounts and what comes with them are available on Hendo Hover’s Kickstarter page.

Hendo Hover already has over $190,000 of pledges and hopes to deliver a product ready by October 15, 2015 – the same date when Back to the Future’s Marty McFly and Doctor Emmett Brown traveled to the future. 

It may be a while before we actually see these hoverboards on the streets like on the clip of “Back to the Future II” above, but this project by Hendo Hover is definitely a start. – Rappler.com