Tech

This $19,000 hoverboard looks incredible

Dave Smith

2015-12-29T14:46:00Z

There are “hoverboards” — the rolling (and sometimes exploding) ones banned by Amazon — and then there are hoverboards, the futuristic hovering skateboard-like vehicles we’ve dreamt about owning since “Back to the Future Part 2.”

The $19,000 Arcaboard appears to be the latter.

We’ve seen plenty of companies attempt to build a hoverboard. Lexus actually built a functioning one earlier this year, but it only worked in a custom skatepark with magnets lining the track. A company called Hendo Hoverboard also created a hovering vehicle, but it also needs special tracks to work.

The Arcaboard might be the closest thing we’ve seen to a real hoverboard, but it’s not without its drawbacks. Check it out.

Built by ARCA Space Corporation, a private aerospace company in New Mexico that builds rockets and unmanned aircrafts, the Arcaboard can hover one foot off the ground on any surface.

It's very cool and futuristic, but it's not without its problems.

First of all, the Arcaboard can fly for a total of six minutes — less, if you weigh over 240 pounds (about 3 minutes) — so it won't be your main mode of transportation anytime soon. At least it only takes 35 minutes to recharge.

To achieve its maximum speed of 12.5 mph, the Arcaboard uses 36 battery-powered electric fans, motor controllers and proximity sensors for locomotion.

But there's a downside to that. With so many motors and fans, the Arcaboard is noticeably loud. <a href="http://www.arcaspace.com/en/ArcaBoard/specs.htm"target="_new">It produces about 92 decibels</a> — on an acoustic scale, it's louder than a Boeing jet taking off the runway but softer than a rock concert (if that’s at all reassuring).

According to the <a href="http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/noise.aspx"target="_new">National Institute on Deafness</a>, noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by “long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels.” So don’t operate your Arcaboard for too long without protecting your ears.

On the plus side, you don’t need worry about this product exploding like those other “hoverboards.” The <a href="http://www.arcaspace.com/en/arcaboard.htm"target="_new">company's website</a> says Arcaboard’s batteries, which are used for ARCA’s aerospace vehicles, have “never had a single problem with overheating during 10 years [of] usage.”

Also nice: You can use your smartphone to help direct your Arcaboard, which is useful in case you're having trouble steering or directing on your own.

The Arcaboard will be available for purchase starting in April 2016. The company plans on selling the hoverboard in three colors: green, blue, and beige.

You can watch ARCA's video introducing the Arcaboard below.

Transportation