Maybe slimmer pieces would help prevent collisions during movement? (It is a pretty obvious suggestion, so likely there is a reason the author didn't take this approach. Is the lower bound of the piece's base determined by electromagnet strength?)
The pieces look to be well below normal size for that board. At normal size it would be very difficult.
To be USFC/FIDE legal, the board has to size with the pieces. Even though it's not likely to be used in a tournament, it would just look odd being sized differently.