An aerospace company Arca Space Corporation has unveiled a hoverboard than can actually fly. The hoverboard, called ArcaBoard, is a rectangle fan-powered board that can lift a person off the ground by almost a foot.
New Mexico based Arca Space is a private company that builds space rockets and aircraft intended for space exploration. According to The Verge, Arca Space is one of the original 26 teams that competed in the Ansari X Prize, the non-government spacecraft competition, in 2004. The company also entered the Lunar X competition before pulling out in 2013. Founded in 1999 by Dumitru Popescu in Romania, Arca Space is currently developing rocket plane and unmanned aerial vehicle.
Instead of gravity scientific breakthrough, Arca Space built the ArcaBoard by using force approach to lift the platform. According to Arca Space, the ArcaBoard gets its power from 36 high power electric ducted fans, each spinning at 45,000 rotations per minute. The electric fans deliver 430 pounds or 200 kg of thrust and 272 horsepower.
The company has added a built-in stabilization unit to the flying hoverboard to make it stable in any condition. The self-balancing technology makes it a very safe platform to fly on. The rider can use a smartphone to control and navigate the ArcaBoard.
The rider can also turn off the stabilization system and steer the ArcaBoard manually with their body. To move forward, the rider can simply have to lean forward. To slow down or back up, the rider can lean backward.
The ArcaBoard measures 57 inches long, 30 inches wide and 6 inches thick. The hoverboard is made of aerospace-grade composite materials, and weighs about 180 pounds. The hover height is maintained at one foot above ground by onboard sensors. It also limit the maximum speed to 12.5 miles per hour.
The ArcaBoard can fly up to six minutes before needing to be charged. The off box charger recharges the ArcaBoard in 6 hours. However, Arca Space has also developed the ArcaDock accessory that will allow the charging completed in 35 minutes.
Arca Space's CEO Dumitru Popescu told Las Cruces Sun News that the company completed the design and production of the ArcaBoard in just two months. Popescu said that the company tried to make the price for the consumers as low as possible, but it also wanted to use the best materials and technology available.
The company is now accepting pre-order of the ArcaBoard for $19,900. The ArcaDock accessory priced at $4,500. The delivery is expected to start in April 2016.
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