The Physics of the Hendo Hoverboard

wired.com

One commenter on the Wired article already said what I was going to write here, so I'll just quote this:

"The biggest problem is that everyone INCLUDING this article intentionally ignore one aspect and will not speak it.

The hoverboard will only work on it's Copper plate surface or the Aluminum surface. It will not work on your driveway, on a sidewalk, etc.. you need a thickly skinned surface of copper or aluminum for it to work at all. So unless you have several thousand dollars worth of 1/4" thick copper or aluminum sheeting around, this "hoverboard" will not work.

It's NOT a real hoverboard. It's a maglev board that will only work on a very specific surface that happens to be made of some of the most expensive metals around. Copper and Aluminum right now has a very high cost."

(Timothy Gray)

> It's NOT a real hoverboard. It's a maglev board that will only work on a very specific surface

I'm taking the optimist view and saying "it's a good start".

I agree. With installations specifically built for the maglev board, this could be a lot of fun. But that's not the way it's being advertised apparently.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com