14 DAY TRIAL // The 1985 movie Back to the Future turned hoverboards into one of the best known elements of pop culture, so it's not surprising that there is always someone working on making a real one. It might just be that success is finally at hand.
Antigravity isn't something we're likely to discover any time soon, so don't count on the exact design being emulated.
Instead, what we should really be looking forward to is a play on the concept of air propulsion. Essentially, the hoverboard will be held off the ground by a bunch of fans.
The device we are about to introduce to you is the Hendo Hoverboard, from a company called, surprise surprise, Hendo Hoverboards. An outfit under the auspice of Arx Pax, headed by CEO and Co-Founder Greg Henderson.
The hoverboard has already been funded
You might have already seen it, since it was first introduced near the end of 2014, when it was posted on crowdfunding website Kickstarter and proceeded to rake up over half a million dollars.
Now we have been given some new details about how the product will be built, and why we could see it sold as early as October this year.
According to the Arx Pax / Hendo Hoverboards leadership, the first one could reach customers as early as October 21, 2015.
3D printing will be a big part of this, Henderson says, as it can cut the time of production from one week to 60-90 minutes.
This is because the original model was made out of aluminum and was produced at a machine shop. Using plastic for the main body will drastically speed that up, and will cost less than 2 dollars (in filament) instead of five hundred.
Currently, they are using an Ultimaker 3D printer, but they also employed a MakerBot Replicator and a 3D Systems CubeX in the past.
The Ultimaker model has a good resolution and provides nearly exact dimensions on the fly when needed. PLA material is used primarily, as ABS plastic only has a better finish appearance to offer, which isn't such a big deal for now.
Availability
The Hoverboard will reach Kickstarter supporters first, on time too. Some prototypes with different engine characteristics and configurations are already done, all with 3D printed components. Henderson claims they are actually better than the base model introduced in the past, but the details are being withheld as a surprise.
