So, looks legit enough, but there are some obvious problems:
- The hover height is very low. This means there would be a very low tolerance for uneven ground, bumps, ruts, etc. With a higher hover height, there's more tolerance for uneven ground, but that often increases other issues.
- None of the demos include audio. I suspect it's relatively loud, which would be in an issue in populated areas.
- How do they solve the braking/cornering problem of hovercraft? Even a regular skateboard can corner fairly tightly, but a hovercraft can't take advantage of a solid connection with the ground. While one could jump off a hoverboard, the board itself might still have significant momentum. Depending on how heavy it is, a moving overboard could cause real damage. Maybe it could be set to ground itself if one stepped off?
The un-coolness of the presenters/marketing doesn't bother me as much as the apparent limitations.
I'm unconvinced of the real utility/breakthrough here, but think the concept is reasonably cool. I suspect one of the
hover bikes (a ridable quad-copter) is more practical in the long run in some respects, even if hoverbikes are even more dangerous. Scary but fun stuff!