A "hoverboard" prototype? Los Gatos developer claims breakthrough in hover tech

Jason McCormick, Contributor

Los Gatos developer Arx Pax Inc. claimed Tuesday that its small team of engineers, backed by a Kickstarter campaign, has created a working prototype of a 'hoverboard' - a device famously introduced in time-travel movie 'Back to the Future Part II.'

Arx Pax said in a news release Tuesday that it seeks $250,000 in its crowdsourcing fundraiser, whose rewards for major backers include 10 production-grade 'Hendo Hoverboards,' along with an endless supply of software development kits tailored to the device. The Kickstarter campaign has already raised more than $100,000.

'About two years ago, we began investigating (Magnetic Field Architecture) and hover technology as a better way to build, move people and move materials,' said Greg Henderson, an inventor and the founder of Arx Pax, in a news release. 'During our research, we discovered a way to transmit electromagnetic technology that is far more efficient than anything else. This means that our patent-pending Hendo Hover Engine technology can enable platforms to hover over non-ferrous materials with payloads of virtually any size and weight.'

The company says on Kickstarter that the device hovers 'about 1 inch off the ground,' a surface which 'needs to be a non-ferromagnetic conductor.' Today's announcement arrives exactly one year ahead of the fictitious date when Marty McFly travels into the future in 'Back To The Future Part II.' To provide proof of the concept, Arx Pax will welcome journalists to its Los Gatos headquarters in the next weeks, only months after an elaborate prank video of a ' HUVr Tech' board by Funny or Die.