HUVr Board By HUVrtech – Fact Or Fiction?
At first glance, HUVr Board by HUVrtech looks too good to be true. Could the technology to make a hover board that one can ride over a regular road really exist? Is that just the stuff of science fiction?
The HUVrtech website says it is all true, but it might not be sensible to get wrapped up in the excitement of it. The news, various technology writers, and internet media are full of this product which is supposedly going to be released before the end of 2014. The company’s website clock is ticking down to release day.
Controversy, Reality, or an April Fool’s Trick?
Online, technical experts and media pundits are not sure whether to laugh or feel affronted. It is as though they are offended that anyone can think the American public would be so gullible as to believe they could ride a skateboard without wheels. These sharp-eyed professionals have been scouring videos in search of the evidence and they are pretty sure these are staged photo shoots and videos. The wires are there if you know where to look. You can tell just by the way a shot is staged and what shots are missing.
It’s not a trick on the scale of “War of the Worlds.” There will be no tragedy directly associated with belief in this kind of technology. At worst, high school students will save their money to buy one and be left with thousands of dollars to fund a college education.
Experts in their thirties and forties remember the days when Back to the Future was a popular movie; when viewers wished the technology could one day become real to travel through time in an old car or ride a hover board past a bunch of bullies. They are skeptical, to say the least, even though they want it to be true. After all, 30 years have passed since Marty McFly rode through time with a mad scientist to meet his mother before he was born.
Details on the HUVr Board Website
On the technical website (which is sparsely populated with information to say the least), a picture shows a number of young men and one young woman who brought an MIT project to life with this new “skateboard.” Here is what they say.
The paint on this paramagnetic titanium structure is abrasion-resistant epoxy. It is made of two pieces molded together. The footpad rotates 180 degrees and is made of a special type of foam. It is injection-molded. Use an app via Bluetooth to lock and unlock the device, to track your route, and to share routes with other users via the HUVr Board website or social media.
Although this device hovers, there are still surfaces that are better for your hovering experience. It should be of a uniform thickness. Is a sidewalk or a road typically uneven? The description is technical enough and complicated enough to sound impressive and true if science is not your strong suit.
More Thoughts on the HUVr Board by HUVrtech
Apparently, this device resembles a skateboard, so Tony Hawk is one of the partners responsible for funding the project. He is joined by Mark Cuban.
The item will be available in four possible color pairings; blue and green, blue and red, blue with grey, and pink with green. In other words, there are some for men and some for women (not girls and boys) if this technology is supposed to be real: it would cost 10 times what a skateboard costs, although there is no price tag associated with it so far.
Not only is this item the brainchild of American scientists (experts in materials science, electricity, and magnetism), but it is also made in the United States. This should be the kicker that tells you the HUVr Board is a hoax: most electronics are made in China, even if they are designed in America.
April Fool’s Day
You might not have noticed, but April 1st is around the corner. It would not be the first time that an elaborate hoax was organized for the first of April, even one this extensive involving celebrities, videos, and multi-media.
One feature that makes this product appear convincing is the association of other technology which would have seemed impossible thirty years ago too, like Bluetooth and iPods. Even email, Twitter, and Facebook would have sounded like science fiction and they are all part of the scenario.
There is a weight limit: yep, high-tech, futuristic science comes with a load limit of 180 pounds.
You can add handlebars to the device because, realistically, it would be only too easy to lose your balance on one of these things, and falling from a height does not bear thinking about.
And what is paramagnetic titanium? Does it even exist?
On the other Hand
Consumers, skeptics, reporters, and scientists can all say what they like about this “product,” whether it exists or not. The point some writers are making is that it is amazing what can actually be done, whatever it is we still wish could be achieved. Flight is a reality and has been since the early 20th century. Maybe hover technology really will become possible.
The fact that many readers will believe this is a real item is a testament to how believable it is that technology could come this far. Wireless electronics have already jumped a long way and seem limitless.
Who Is the HUVr Board Going to Be Made for?
What you can be sure of, though, is that if a HUVr Board really came into existence, it would not be for the average person to own one in the near future. Only people like Mark Cuban, Tony Hawk, rich celebrities, and entrepreneurs could afford to buy them (probably for young children and friends since many feel they would be too old to take up any kind of boarding at their time of life).
If HUVr Boards really did exist, even today, it would be generations before they were within the grasp of ordinary people. They will have to stick with scooters and skateboards for now.