Hoverboard

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Hoverboard
Back to the Future film series element
Hoverboard.jpg
Fictional Mattel hoverboard used by the character Marty McFly in both Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III .
Publisher Amblin Entertainment
First appearance Back to the Future Part II
Created by Robert Zemeckis
Bob Gale
Genre Science-fiction
In-universe information
TypePersonal transport
FunctionPersonal transportation similar to a skateboard, but using a magnetic means of levitation instead of wheels.

A hoverboard (or hover board) is a fictional levitating board used for personal transportation, first described in science-fiction, and made famous by the appearance of a skateboard-like hoverboard in the film Back to the Future Part II . Many attempts have been made to invent a functioning hoverboard.

Contents

In fiction

Hoverboards were first described by author M. K. Joseph in a 1967 science fiction novel. [1] In 1984, a hoverboard appeared in the shoot 'em up arcade video game SWAT, developed by Coreland and distributed by Sega in Japan and Bally Midway in North America. [2]

The hoverboard was popularized by the Back to the Future film franchise, with its appearance in Back to the Future Part II (1989). [1] During the 1990s there were rumors, fueled by the film's director Robert Zemeckis, [3] that hoverboards were in fact real, but not marketed because they were deemed too dangerous by parents' groups. These rumors have been conclusively debunked. [3]

Hoverboards have appeared in various other media since the 1990s. For example, video games such as the beat 'em up arcade game Riding Fight (1992), manufactured by Taito, [4] and the sports video game AirBlade (2001), developed by Criterion Games and distributed by Sony in Europe and Namco in North America. [5]

In the long-running British comic 2000 AD, popular character Chopper flies a powerboard when engaging in a sport called skysurfing. The device resembles a surfboard with anti-gravity properties. Air-boards in the science fiction book, No Tribes Beyond Us, feature in-built rotors and bindings for the rider's feet, similar to a snowboard.

A short film, Flite, designed to showcase the capabilities of the Unreal Engine game design tool was created by writer and director Tim Webber in 2023. The narrative concerns a young hoverboard rider being chased through a near-future London. [6]

Prototypes

Numerous attempts have been made to create working hoverboards.

Air cushion or ground effect

Several companies have drawn on hovercraft "air-cushion vehicle" technology to attempt to create hoverboard-like products but none have demonstrated similar experiences to the kinds of levitation depicted in science fiction films.

In the 1950s Hiller aircraft produced the "Flying Platform" which was similar to the modern concept of a hoverboard. [7]

The Airboard air-cushion vehicle was unveiled in the 2000 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in Sydney, [8] which was manufactured and sold by Arbortech Industries Limited. [9] Series II was unveiled in 2007. [10]

In 2004, Jamie Hyneman and his team built a makeshift hovercraft for MythBusters , dubbed the Hyneman Hoverboard, from a surfboard and leafblower. However, Jamie's hoverboard was not very effective. [11]

In 2005, Jason Bradbury created a "hoverboard" for The Gadget Show , using a wooden board that was levitated by means of a leafblower. The original design was not propelled and could also not be steered. In 2009, a second version was made which was propelled/steered by a small jet engine (rather than a fan as with an air boat), and also contained two (more powerful) leafblowers.[ citation needed ]

In May, 2015, Guinness World Records announced that the Romania-born Canadian inventor Cătălin Alexandru Duru had set a new record for continuous travel as a controlling pilot on an autonomously powered hoverboard, travelling over a distance of 275.9 m (302 yd) at heights up to 5 m (16 ft) over Lake Ouareau in the province of Quebec, Canada. Video of the flight leading to a controlled splash-down is offered. [12] Duru had designed and constructed the hoverboard himself over the course of a year. Its lift is generated by propellers, and the pilot controls the craft with his feet.

On 24 December 2015, ARCA Space Corporation claimed it developed a hoverboard named ArcaBoard, and the batteries can provide energy enough for six minutes of hovering at height of up to 30 centimeters (12 in). It has 36 electric motors that power 36 fans. [13]

In April 2016, a jet powered Flyboard Air hoverboard, flown by inventor Franky Zapata broke the Guinness World Record for farthest flight by hoverboard, flying 2,252.4 meters (2,463.3 yd). [14]

In July 2019, Franky Zapata flew the newer Flyboard Air "jet-powered personal aerial vehicle", referred to as the EZ-Fly, during Bastille Day celebrations in France. [15] [16] [17] On 4 August 2019, Zapata succeeded in crossing the English Channel with his device. The previous attempt on 25 July had been unsuccessful, but during the second try, escorted by French Army helicopters and using a backpack fuel reservoir, he accomplished the 35-kilometer (22 mi) journey in about 20 minutes, including a fueling stop at the midpoint. Zapata reached a speed of 180 km/h (110 mph) and maintained an altitude of approximately 15 meters (50 ft). [18]

Zapata's company, Z-AIR, had received a €1.3m development grant from the French military in December 2018. [19] However, he has said that the flyboard was not yet suitable for military use due to the noise it creates and the challenge of learning how to fly the device. [20]

Magnetic

In 2011, French artist Nils Guadagnin created a hovering board that floats by magnetic repulsion between it and its base but cannot carry a load. The board includes a laser system which ensures stabilization, in addition to an electromagnetic system which makes the levitation possible. [21]

In October 2011, the Université Paris Diderot in France presented the "Mag surf", a superconducting device which levitates 3 cm (1.2 in) above two magnetized repulsing floor rails and can carry up to 100 kg (220 lb). [22]

In October 2014, American inventor Greg Henderson demonstrated a prototype hoverboard working on a magnetic levitation system using the electrodynamic wheel principle. Similar to maglev trains, the hoverboard requires a surface of non-ferromagnetic metal such as copper or aluminum to function, carrying up to 140 kg (300 lb) while hovering 2.5 cm (1 in) above the surface. Four engines were used to power the magnetic levitation, with the option of applying thrust and spin to the board under user control. The prototype was promoted in a campaign on Kickstarter the day of the news coverage, with a price of $10,000 for the first ten boards. [23] The New York Times said that although the board worked, Greg Henderson had no personal interest in skateboarding and that the Kickstarter was "basically a publicity stunt," designed to call attention to his company. [24]

On June 24, 2015, Lexus released a video as part of their "Amazing in Motion" series purporting to show a real hoverboard they had developed, the Slide. It was stated by Lexus that the board worked using liquid-nitrogen-cooled superconductors and permanent magnets. The board was shown moving over a conventional-looking concrete skateboard park surface, which led to some skepticism. Lexus apparently later admitted that it only works on special metallic surfaces and the surface shown was not just concrete. [25] On August 4, 2015, Lexus revealed the working principles of the Slide hoverboard with a promotional campaign, filmed in Barcelona and starring Ross McGouran, a professional London skateboarder. Lexus released a series of videos explaining the technology and the whole engineering, research, and development process in association with all its partners. [26]

On January 7, 2021, the YouTube channel Hacksmith Industries uploaded a video of a functional hoverboard [27] capable of sustaining the weight of a human. It uses several electrodynamic wheels to induce eddy currents on an aluminum plate floor.

On March 22, 2023, a French amateur named Damien Dolata launched on YouTube his first functional version of a hoverboard called Ripulse. This hoverboard is capable of levitating a person weighing up to approximately 30 kg above the ground. It is composed of 4 magneto-rotational repulsors that create an eddy current in a conductive surface. [28] [29] [30]

Other

In March 2014, a company called HUVr claimed to have developed the technology for hoverboards, and released a video advertising the product on YouTube featuring Christopher Lloyd, Tony Hawk, Moby, Terrell Owens, and others riding hoverboards through a parking lot in Los Angeles. Special effect failures such as incomplete wire removal have conclusively identified the video as a hoax or joke, traced to the Funny or Die website through identification of the cast and public references to the project. [31] Funny or Die later posted a video featuring Christopher Lloyd "apologizing" for the hoax. [32]

Rumors circulated in 2001 that inventor Dean Kamen's new invention, codenamed Ginger, was a transportation device resembling a hoverboard. In reality, Ginger was the Segway Human Transporter, a self-balancing two-wheel electric scooter. [33]

Guinness records

Guinness World Records defines a hoverboard as an autonomously powered personal levitator.

In May 2015, the Romanian-born Canadian inventor Cătălin Alexandru Duru set a Guinness World Record by travelling a distance of 275.9 m (302 yd) at heights up to 5 m (16 ft) over a lake, on an autonomously powered hoverboard of his own design. [34] [35]

On April 30, 2016, Guinness World Records recognized a new record of 2,252.4 m (2,463.3 yd). The Flyboard Air was powered by jet engine propulsion, and its use allowed Franky Zapata, in Sausset-les-Pins, France to beat the previous record by nearly 2 km (2,200 yd). [36]

Back to the Future

Back to the Future franchise: Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) rides a Mattel hoverboard in Back to the Future Part II (1989), to escape Griff Tannen and his gang in the year 2015. Later on, Marty McFly would revisit 1955 and use the hoverboard to steal the Grays Sports Almanac book back from Biff Tannen, to prevent him from taking over Hill Valley.

In Part III (1990), in the year 1885, Doc Brown rides the hoverboard to rescue Clara from falling off the locomotive.

In the one-off special Doc Brown Saves the World , Doc reveals that he erased the existence of the hoverboard and other inventions from the 2015 shown in the series as they contributed to a chain of events that culminated in Griff Tannen triggering a nuclear holocaust.

Other

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hovercraft</span> Air cushion vehicle

A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and various other surfaces.

<i>Back to the Future Part II</i> 1989 film by Robert Zemeckis

Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale; both wrote the story. It is a sequel to the 1985 film Back to the Future and the second installment in the Back to the Future franchise. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Thomas F. Wilson with Elisabeth Shue, and Jeffrey Weissman in supporting roles. It follows Marty McFly (Fox) and his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd) as they travel from 1985 to 2015 to prevent Marty's son from sabotaging the McFly family's future. When their arch-nemesis Biff Tannen (Wilson) steals Doc's DeLorean time machine and uses it to alter history for his benefit, the duo must return to 1955 to restore the timeline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marty McFly</span> Protagonist of the Back to the Future franchise

Marty McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Back to the Future franchise. He is a high school student living in the fictional town of Hill Valley, California, who accidentally becomes a time traveler and alters history after his scientist friend Emmett Brown invents a DeLorean time machine. He was created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. In the film trilogy, he is portrayed by Canadian actor Michael J. Fox. Back to the Future established Fox as a film star, such was the commercial success and popularity of the film upon its release in 1985. Marty returned in two film sequels, Back to the Future Part II in 1989 and Back to the Future Part III in 1990.

Hover may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jet pack</span> Device worn on the back which uses jets of gas or liquid to propel the wearer through the air

A jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack or flight pack is a device worn as a backpack which uses jets to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and the first working experimental devices were demonstrated in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maglev</span> Train system using magnetic levitation

Maglev is a system of rail transport whose rolling stock is levitated by electromagnets rather than rolled on wheels, eliminating rolling resistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hovercar</span> Unrealized concept of a flying personal vehicle

A hover car is a personal vehicle that flies at a constant altitude of up to a few meters (yards) above the ground and used for personal transportation in the same way a modern automobile is employed. The concept usually appears in science fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ground-effect train</span> Type of train

A ground effect train is a conceptualized alternative to a magnetic levitation (maglev) train. In both cases the objective is to prevent the vehicle from making contact with the ground. Whereas a maglev train accomplishes this through the use of magnetism, a ground effect train uses an air cushion; either in the manner of a hovercraft or using the "wing-in-ground-effect" design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Trinity Academy (Philippines)</span> Roman Catholic school in Manila, Philippines

Holy Trinity Academy (HTA), also referred to as the Most Holy Trinity Academy, or colloquially as Holy, is a private parochial co-educational school in Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. The school was established in June 1947 by the Catholic priest, Father Bernardo Torres. The school accepted both male and female students, but in separate departments, until it became fully co-educational in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoverbike</span> Personal vehicle capable of hovering

A hoverbike is a vehicle that can hover, resembling a flying motorbike, having at least two propulsive portions—one in front of and one behind the driver. It is often used as a staple vehicle in science fiction and near future settings, but since the early 2010s, some attempts have been made at developing a functional, practical hoverbike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flyboard</span> Brand of hydroflighting device

A Flyboard is a brand of hydroflighting device which supplies propulsion to drive the Flyboard into the air to perform a sport known as hydroflying.

The Slide is a magnetically levitating hoverboard demonstration developed by Lexus, who built a skate park in Barcelona, Spain specifically for the project. The system was built as a promotional demonstration and was not on sale to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self-balancing scooter</span> Battery-powered electric vehicle

A self-balancing scooter is a self-balancing personal transporter consisting of two motorized wheels connected to a pair of articulated pads on which the rider places their feet. The rider controls the speed by leaning forward or backward, and direction of travel by twisting the pads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydroflight sports</span>

Hydroflight sports are a category of sport in which water jet propulsion is used to create sustained flight where lift and movement are controlled by a person riding on a propulsion device. Competitions for this sport started around 2012. There are many training centres throughout the world where beginners go to learn and practice skills so they can fly these devices by themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flyboard Air</span> Turbojet hoverboard

Flyboard Air is a type of jetpack/hoverboard powered by gas turbines. It was invented by French water-craft rider Franky Zapata, founder of Zapata racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JetLev</span>

The JetLev is a water-propelled jet pack powered through a floater derived from jetski technology attached through an umbilical to the backpack which contains two nozzles and two control arms, in a configuration like traditional rocket belts and gas turbine jet belts. The JetLev also functions underwater, allowing users to dive into the water and jet back out. The jetpack can allow users to fly up to 10 m above the water. It was created by Chinese Canadian, Raymond Li. JetLev became the first practical amateur-usable jet pack, and first with practical usable duration. The JetLev technology jetpack became the first commercially released jetpack in 2009. It was initially offered for sale for US$100,000, however with much cheaper competitors coming on the market afterwards, inspired by the original JetLev, such as the Flyboard, prices rapidly dropped, with cheaper models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daedalus Flight Pack</span> Jetpack

The Daedalus Flight Pack is a jet suit capable of flying, hovering and powered jumps. It was created by British inventor Richard Browning, an athlete and Royal Marine Reservist. The Daedalus is different from other manned portable flight packs in that it uses additional jets attached to the hands. These enable it to be directed by moving the arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal transporter</span> Ridable small motorised road vehicles

A personal transporter is any of a class of compact, mostly recent, motorised micromobility vehicle for transporting an individual at speeds that do not normally exceed 25 km/h (16 mph). They include electric skateboards, kick scooters, self-balancing unicycles and Segways, as well as gasoline-fueled motorised scooters or skateboards, typically using two-stroke engines of less than 49 cc (3.0 cu in) displacement. Many newer versions use recent advances in vehicle battery and motor-control technologies. They are growing in popularity, and legislators are in the process of determining how these devices should be classified, regulated and accommodated during a period of rapid innovation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franky Zapata</span> French personal watercraft pilot (born 1978)

Franky Zapata is a French personal watercraft pilot who is the inventor of the Flyboard and Flyboard Air, and founder of Zapata Racing. Since 2012, Zapata's efforts have been focused on the development and manufacture of personal flyers for land and aquatic applications.

References

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  13. ↑ ArcaBoard: The first real hoverboard?, Gizmag.com, accesat la 26 decembrie 2015
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  18. ↑ "Franky Zapata: French inventor successfully crosses Channel by hoverboard". The Independent. 2019-08-04. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  19. ↑ "French 'Flying Man' Franky Zapata Crosses the English Channel on Jet-Powered Hoverboard". News 18. 4 August 2019.
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  24. ↑ Dougherty, Conor (2014-10-21). "Hoverboard? Still in the Future". The New York Times .
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  26. ↑ "Hoverboard is a 2015 reality: It's called Lexus Slide!!!". Ridesupboards.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  27. ↑ "HOVERBOARD TEST! (PART 2/2)". YouTube . Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  28. ↑ ""Un rêve de gosse": à Carry-le-Rouet, Damien a créé son propre hoverboard". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  29. ↑ L, Frederic (2023-05-16). "La Ripulse: un inventeur français met au point un véritable Hoverboard à répulsion magnétique". kulturegeek.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  30. ↑ "Carry-le-Rouet : un fan de "Retour vers le futur" construit son skate volant". LaProvence.com (in French). 2023-05-07. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
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  37. ↑ Gearan, Jay. "'Back to the Future' still No. 1 with Hubbardston father, son".
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  39. ↑ "What's on: madcap movies, curious beasts & butterfly ladies - InDaily". 20 January 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
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