ArcaBoard is a $20k hoverboard nobody wants
It's almost 2016 and we still don't have legit hoverboards. Worst of all, we are now calling these things hoverboards, something that neither hovers nor is a board.
One company - Arca Space - has decided to take matters into its own hands, and decided to make a $19,900 donut box with fans on it.
The ArcaBoard, as it is called, uses 36 high powered electric fans that produce 200 kgf of downwards thrust to keep you and anyone above the board floating for all of six minutes. The board can supposedly be controlled by your smartphone. The batteries powering the 272bhp of power inside can be recharged in six hours, or in 35 minutes using the optional ArcaDock accessory that costs another $4,500.
First of all, there is nothing elegant about the ArcaBoard design and not at all what we expect hoverboards to look like. What the cheesy promo video also doesn't tell you is that having that many fans is probably going to be obnoxiously loud. Another thing the video doesn't show is any kind of lateral movement. All it does is, well, hover, which is fine but it also needs to move. Granted you are not going far in six minutes but the complete lack of any visible movement is terrible.
Lastly, $19,900 for something that poor from a company you've barely heard of doesn't sound very exciting. Maybe if you have too much money lying around but this product has vaporware written all over it.
Reader comments
- AnonD-482946
- 01 Jan 2016
- kxx
ArcaBoard is much behind the hoverboard of Alexandru Duru (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FADV4FpkdtI ) who is also a romanian like Dumitru Popescu, the guy seen riding the green flying platform with 36 ducted fans. A. Duru floats in the air w...
- AnonD-413889
- 29 Dec 2015
- Rbd
Designed on an iPad, there's your problem! Also not sure what video the author was watching but I saw lateral movement... We didn't see how it was achieved (presumably someone pushed him) but hoverboards, at least if we're talking like in BttF should...
- AnonD-362866
- 29 Dec 2015
- NHU
Remind me again which Apple product doesn't work well? Considering the Apple 2 from waaaaaaaaaaaaay back still works decades later?