Hendo is introducing the world's first REAL hoverboard and hover developer kit. We are putting hover technology in YOUR hands.
So where does the HENDO hoverboard stand today? Well, about 1 inch
off the ground. As you can see from the video above, the prototype is
real and it works! But to see it hover in person, and better yet, to
defy gravity by riding it, is something you need to experience as well. With
the support of the Kickstarter community, we all can. We need your help
to put the finishing touches on the Hendo Hoverboard, to help us
produce them, and to create places to ride them. Ok, so you can't shred a halfpipe with one of these, but you can
still show your support for Hendo with one of our Betaboards instead.
The Betaboard is a smaller version of our hoverboard that floats on a
magnetic base. It uses a a different type of levitation than our
technology, based on electromagnetic stabilization. It cannot be moved
around too quickly and needs to stay plugged in, but it's perfect for
any desk and makes a great gift! (In theory, the Betaboard should
float forever, as long as it's plugged in and not disturbed too much. It
holds about 8 ounces/200g.)
Our engineering team has been amazing, rapidly iterating on design
after design. In fact, this our 18th prototype, and we continue to make
advances week after week.
The magic behind the hoverboard lies in its four disc-shaped hover
engines. These create a special magnetic field which literally pushes
against itself, generating the lift which levitates our board off the
ground.
While our hoverboard is primarily intended to be self-propelled, the
actions which stabilize it can also be used to drive it forward by
altering the projected force on the surface below. Currently, this
surface needs to be a non-ferromagnetic conductor. Right now we use
commonly available metals in simple sheets, but we are working on new
compounds and new configurations to maximize our technology and minimize
costs.
The hoverboard is simultaneously fascinating and exhilarating. The
enabling technologies existed, but no one had yet been able to align
them to bring a hoverboard forth. Hendo has done so, and our hoverboards
are working in almost every way we could have imagined. But perfecting
it will take a little more time and resources.
Until the hoverboard is within everyone's reach, we are offering the
same technology in a small, accessible form factor - the Whitebox™
Developer Kit. SPECS: (Approximate)
Dimensions: 10" x 10" x 5" (25cm x 25cm x 12cm)
Hover Height: 1/4" - 1/2" (1cm - 1.5cm)
Battery Life: 10-15 min
Charge Time: 1-2 hrs
Weight: 10-12 lbs (4.5 kg)
Payload: ~ 5 lbs (3 kg)
We kept the Whitebox as simple and affordable as we could to get our technology out into as many hands as possible.
It is designed to be explored, taken apart, and analyzed, encouraging you to dare to wonder.
The Whitebox+™ puts hover control and propulsion capabilities in your
hands. It's operated through your mobile device (iPhone/Android). This
control functionality contains advanced technology and hardware, so it's
not designed so much with tinkering in mind. Powered by a set of
rechargeable LiPo batteries, we integrate the charging system directly
into the box. Right now we can give you 12-15 minutes of hover with a
charge time of about 2 hours.
The Whitebox+™ has the ability to move forward and backward, left and
right, and rotate around its axis. The app can even pre-program
autonomous movements and "hover flight plans". And what's really cool -
it can do a static start (that is, pop-up from a standstill when first
turned on).
Feel like adding some extra visual oomph to the Whitebox? Check out
these three new skins! More to follow, and if you have an idea for one
let us know.
While one day we expect to have hoverboards that can effortlessly
float over any medium (even water!), our current technology requires
special types of surfaces. Therefore, we need a hoverpark to go
with our boards, and we have been busy designing a park befitting the
awesomeness of our technology.
Hendo is driven by our supporters, backers, and collaborators that
want to see a hoverpark come to life. So we're giving everyone an
opportunity to be a part of the hoverpark by claiming a brick-sized
piece of its surface. When you reserve a brick we'll engrave your
name on it and place it on our hoverpark surface. And on opening day
you will see your name permanently etched into history, in the world's
first hoverpark.
"What we back today, echoes in eternity" - Maximus Kickstartus Magnetus
Levitation using magnets seems simple - just put one magnet over
another, same poles facing, and the top one will float. Voila, right?
Sadly, as we all find out (usually as heartbroken little kids) this
never works. Due to something called Earnshaw's Theorem, a stable static
equilibrium between two magnets is impossible. There have been a number
of ways around this, but none have proven feasible enough for everyday
applications. Until now. Lenz’s law explains how eddy currents are
created when magnets are moved relative to a conductive material.
These eddy currents in turn create an opposing magnetic field in the
conductor. Our core technology, which we call Magnetic Field
Architecture (MFA™), focuses this field more efficiently. You can
go ahead and google both of these scientific principles, but to sum it
up in regards to levitation: Lenz = Easy, Earnshaw = Hard.
The Hendo Hoverboard is a first-step product, a precursor to the
broader implementation of the world-changing technology of MFA. It
enables a new generation of lift and motion technology that will change
the way we view transportation. Additional applications for MFA
technology are virtually limitless - from business, to industry, to
healthcare, and beyond. Unlike magnetic levitation systems
employed today, our hover systems are comparably inexpensive and
completely sustainable. Hovering modes of transportation are now
possible and practical. Lifting a wide range of loads - whether it's a
person riding a hoverboard (what we were all expecting) or a building
riding out an earthquake (what we never imagined could be possible) - is
all within reach.
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