Is this incredible footage of a new hoverboard real or fake?

[midian182]

While Back to the Future 2 made some pretty accurate predictions about the technology of the future, such as VR, wearables, and video calls, we’ve never quite been able to create a hoverboard like the one from the movie.

There have already been a few good attempts to build what is essentially a flying skateboard - like the ArcaBoard from last year - and now another company has released a couple of videos showing its take on the device. But the footage looks so amazing, many people are claiming it's fake.

The Flyboard Air comes from Zapata Racing, the same company that makes the water- and jet ski-powered Flyboards. The video of the apparent prototype seems to show that the company has modified the Flyboard design and turned it into a personal aircraft that’s more Green Goblin than Marty McFly.

The company claims the Air can fly for 10 minutes, reach a maximum height of 10,000 feet, and travel at speeds of up to 93 miles per hour. The design does look quite similar to Canadian inventor Catalin Alexandre Duru’s Omni Hoverboard, shown below, which broke the Guinness World Record for longest distance travelled by a hoverboard in May 2015, when it flew a distance of 905ft at a height of 16ft in the air.

Zapata hasn’t released many details about the Flyboard Air, other than its alleged capabilities, which is adding to the argument that the video is a fake - nothing more than a marketing campaign to promote the company’s other products.

The way that founder and French jet ski champion Frank Zapata manages to stay so well-balanced on the device at that speed does appear to defy the laws of physics. But the firm insists the video is real and claims that Zapata wore no safety tether during the test.

As a way of offering more proof that the device is real, Zapata Racing released another clip (below) showing the Flyboard Air in action. This video isn’t a professionally made one like the first, and it does look pretty genuine, but many are still skeptical that it’s the real deal. What do you think?

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https://www.techspot.com/news/64422-incredible-footage-new-hoverboard-real-or-fake.html

 

[oldikes]

I dont think youd wanna reach 10,000 feet with only 10 minutes of flight time.

 

[Adhmuz]

Saw this on TV last night, pretty cool, very real, now they just need to re-calibrate it to go on your back and jetpacks are here! The top speed of 90+ MPH is a little scary given the limited run time.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Whadda racket in the background. A good thing I can mute it.

 

[yRaz]

Considering how much water is being kicked up I'd say it probably generates enough lift, but I don't know how something so small could generate that much lift. I'll say it's plausible but I'll need more info on how this thing works before I believe it. I don't see what is propelling this thing, all I see are 4 legs with nothing attached to them

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I dont think youd wanna reach 10,000 feet with only 10 minutes of flight time.

And no oxygen.

 

[VitalyT]

This is a total fake, and here's why - this is simple physics, really...

A controllable hover-board needs much wider blade span than the ones shown in the video. It is not just a matter of the lifting power, it is also a matter of being able to control the lifting force without flipping over and flying in random directions.

What they showed is claimed to be jet-based, as the only way to lift that much weight. However, a jet-based board would be almost impossible to control. You would need at least 4 separate engines to manage the balance (it would need to be fully automatic, because it is impossible for a human being to master manual balance of 4 thrusters).

 

[psycros]

Where are the links to the videos?

 

[LNCPapa]

This is a total fake, and here's why - this is simple physics, really...

A controllable hover-board needs much wider blade span than the ones shown in the video. It is not just a matter of the lifting power, it is also a matter of being able to control the lifting force without flipping over and flying in random directions.

What they showed is claimed to be jet-based, as the only way to lift that much weight. However, a jet-based board would be almost impossible to control. You would need at least 4 separate engines to manage the balance (it would need to be fully automatic, because it is impossible for a human being to master manual balance of 4 thrusters).

What I saw when I watched those videos was a combination of jet and Segway technology. Why couldn't a computer be managing the balance for you?

 

[Uncle Al]

I dont think youd wanna reach 10,000 feet with only 10 minutes of flight time.

And no oxygen.

Issues of oxygen starvation occur at 13,000 and greater although at 10,000 I would be more worried about ingestion into another air breather ..... that could certainly ruin one's day!

 

[MannerMauler]

My main question is what about the shot where the pilot seems to point a GoPro at himself with the hand he was holding the wireless controller for the hoverboard. When he lands, no GoPro on him, how could he switch between controller and GoPro AND put the GoPro in a pocket or something similar without losing balance?

 

[Raoul Duke]

Is this video real or fake?
I feel like I'm being asked if I see Nessie in Loch Ness Lake, or is that the Sasquatch in some shaky video LOL

 

[Newnumbertoo]

This is a total fake, and here's why - this is simple physics, really...

A controllable hover-board needs much wider blade span than the ones shown in the video. It is not just a matter of the lifting power, it is also a matter of being able to control the lifting force without flipping over and flying in random directions.

What they showed is claimed to be jet-based, as the only way to lift that much weight. However, a jet-based board would be almost impossible to control. You would need at least 4 separate engines to manage the balance (it would need to be fully automatic, because it is impossible for a human being to master manual balance of 4 thrusters).

Exactly