Have $20,000, will own a real hoverboard.
A recently unveiled hoverboard, called the ArcaBoard, was shown capable of lifting its rider about 6 minutes off the ground. As such, it has since been earmarked as the first "authentic" hoverboard.
"The hoverboard comes from Arca Space Corporation, a company specialized in aerospace vehicles for private space flight," CNET reported. "The board is powered by a set of batteries running 36 electric ducted fans."
"The contraption packs 272 horsepower and hovers at about a foot above the ground," it added, also saying that it is capable of lifting riders weighing up to 176 pounds or 80 kilograms.
Another version that can handle heavier users (up to 243 pounds) can hover for about 3 minutes. Travel speed reportedly tops out at 12.5 miles per hour or 20 kilometers per hour.
The said gadget comes in green, blue, and beige and has a separate charging device, which can recharge the hoverboard in about half an hour. Charging the board normally takes up to 6 hours. The charger costs $4,500, while the hoverboard itself sells at a whopping $19,900.
"If you look closely, you'll notice that each fan on the hoverboard is covered by a thin protective grill," Mashable observed. "But it seems like if you covered one of the fan ports with your foot (easy, due to the limited foot space) your hovering experience might be impacted."
It can be recalled that Lexus teased its board a few months back. It was later understood that the device was dependent on magnetic or conductive surfaces. The ArcaBoard isn't, as its 36 electric fans can get it off any type of surface.
However, some may point out that the Lexus board may be the winner in the design department, thanks to its sleek shape. The ArcaBoard has been described by PC World as looking like "the monolith from '2001: A Space Odyssey'."
To the skeptics wondering whether the newly introduced product is actually legit, perhaps knowing more about its maker helps.
"Arca started as a Romanian NGO and was awarded contracts for work on stratospheric rockets and balloons by the Romanian government and the European Space Agency," GizMag explained. "Since then, the company participated in the Google Lunar X Prize, released high-end drones and has recently relocated to the US, where it announced the release of the ArcaBoard on Christmas Eve."
Further, the specs apparently check out as they aren't "too good to be true," although the board itself doesn't sound like a very feasible option for commuting at this point.
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