The Future is here – the Omni Hoverboard
Hoverboards have exploded in popularity over the years. Once seen as a fad, they’ve heightened the fun families and children experience all over the world. Used outdoors, they can be taken full advantage of, as they accelerate up to the speed of 6mph.
Since they require no handlebars, it’s fair to say that they’re the most innovative transportation devices, to be released over the last decade.
Hoverboards are one of the most innovative class of products
With the virality of Hoverboards, companies responsible for making these gadgets have generated enough revenue to continue to make more innovations, and add to their product line. Take, for instance, the Gokart. The attachment augments the Hoverboard experience by allowing you to enjoy the Hoverboard while seated – changing the experience altogether to something perhaps far more practical.
In fact, several editions of the Hoverboard (or the Swegway UK) have been released since its inception, including the Poweronboard, the Hoverzon S, and the Skque x1 – all of which are available on the UKBigBuy store. Besides that, with their popularity, customers can find a range of Swegway spare parts, such as speakers, if they want to add to the functionality of their device.
The Omni Hoverboard
But it doesn’t stop there; the future is now here with the Omni Hoverboard. Unlike its counterparts, this device hovers above the ground. Think of it like a large circular drone that flies with a single passenger onboard. Due to the price of close to five thousand pounds per kit, understandably, they haven’t quite reached mass market production.
The Hoverboard flies above ground, and an unveiling video of the device has gone viral after being featured on CBS News. Not only that, but the device is also waterproof and can fly up to five metres above the land. Defying gravity with its propellers, at this stage, the only downside is that it only works for a couple of minutes before the battery gets drained.
The limiting factor
That’s a huge shame, and it’s going to be the major limiting factor when it comes to these technologies. Anything that propels itself upward, after all, requires a huge amount of energy to sustain. Until further innovations are made in energy management are made, and the cost of production is brought down, we don’t expect this product to make the “big time” anytime soon. Similarly to VR, it’s still too soon for the technology to be adopted in the same fashion traditional Hoverboards have.
The Man behind the Omni Hoverboard
Catalin Alexandru Duru, the inventor of the product, broke the world record for the longest Hoverboard flight, flying for five metres above a lake for a distance of 275.9 metres, over the period of a minute and a half. With its popularity, other inventors have devised similar products, such as the Hendo hoverboard and the Lexus Hoverboard.
The Hendo Hoverboard
Differently, to the Omni Hoverboard, the Hendo device uses electromagnets to produce changing magnetic fields that produce an electric current in the metallic surface underneath the hoverboard. In that sense, it’s more akin to a skateboard that hovers slightly, while the Omni propels you to a height of up to five metres.
The problem with this device is that it only hovers over a conducting surface. Interestingly, the second iteration of this device is receiving some help from Tony Hawks.
The Lexus Hoverboard
Contrarily, to the last two devices, the Lexus Hoverboard is a lot smaller and naturally more practical to use. However, just the same way the Hendo requires a surface to ride it on, the Lexus follows suit. The superconducting magnets need to be kept cold to work properly, which means liquid nitrogen has to be added to the device at frequent intervals.
Conclusion
Out of all these devices, the Omni hoverboard is the most impressive. While these products aren’t quite ready to be adopted by a large customer base, we’re excited about the possibilities these devices will bring to the market in the coming future.