ARCA Space launches ArcaBoard hoverboard for pre-order price $19,990

‘Experience what you’ve always dreamed of’- says ARCA Space Corporation, who has now developed an actual ‘hover board’ which flies a few meters above the ground. The private spaceflight developer is the latest corporation to have built an ArcaBoard which, as it claims will be a revolutionary breakthrough for transportation.

The device has a stabilization unit which is built-in and ensures stability in all situations. It is supposed to be a safe platform for flyers with negligible risk. The stability system can also be disabled and one’s own body weight could be used to steer the board according to the user’s wish. The machine has thirty-six ‘Electric Ducted Fans’ possessing power which is strong enough to enable the board to float in the air. The huge number of fans were embedded within it to ensure the uninterrupted running of the device even during multiple motor failures.

The ArcaBoard can be controlled using a smartphone to steer the device and navigate it mid-air. However, the speed limit set by the software is up to 12.5 mph. Its design is based on pure engineering mechanics and uses conventional concepts of upthrust to lift the board above the ground. This is in contrast with the quantum levitation mechanics which used modern concepts of physics as were demonstrated by Lexus when they made their version of the hover board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_OhDXTvJoo

The company says it has kept the machine’s body simple yet powerful after crafting and testing various structures and designs. It has vaporware written cross the device which does not look very appealing. It says that ninety percent of the overall space is occupied by the Electric Ducted Fans, controllers and batteries.

The fans are believed to thrust out 272 horsepower to enable the machine to hover in mid-air. Nonetheless, for heavy weight users, this can be tweaked by empowering the board to operate in an ‘Enhanced Thrust Version’. The maximum thrust is said to be 200 kgf (430 lbs) as mentioned by the firm. Talking about the battery life, one can enjoy the flight on the hover board for a mere six minutes, after which its battery will dry out.

Although, heavy riders may have to compromise a little bit here as the ‘Enhanced Thrust Version’ will keep the battery running just for three minutes. The battery will take a whopping six hour recharge time to get fully revitalized using the off the box charger, but this could be worked upon by shelling out a little more from one’s pocket. There will be an optional accessory called ArcaDock, which will be made available along with the machine for $4,500 which will bring down the recharge time to just thirty-five minutes.

The pre-order price set by the firm for the ArcaBoard is a skimpy $19,990 and would not be shipped before April 2016.

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  • ArcaBoard is fundamentally flawed.

    This hoverboard is at least 4 times less efficient, lift four times less weight per hp or kW, as compared with well built flying platforms. Those who designed ArcaBoard are comedians not engineers.

    Using many small diameter fans (or ordinary propellers) to generate static thrust (to hover) is completely inefficient. This is the reason helicopters have large rotors.

    Explanation:

    The Ducted Fans used by ARCA are of the type: “Dr. Mad Thrust 90mm 12 Blade Alloy EDF 1000kv – 4200w (10S)” that require 4200 W electric power to generate 5.2kgf static thrust.

    As you see, the ratio: Static Thrust / Power = 5.2 kgf / 4200 W = 0.923 kgf/hp is quite bad for this EDF.

    In comparison a “T-motor U11” using a 26 inch propeller generates a thrust of 12.42 kgf and draws 2.37 kW.

    Static Thrust / Power = 12.42 kgf /2.37 kW= 3.9 kgf/hp

    There is a great difference between 0.923 kgf/hp and 3.9 kgf/hp (3.9/0.923 = 4.23). The electric ducted fans of small diameter are totally unsuitable for generating static thrust, like any small size propeller.

    Hoverboards with a lot of small ducted fans, like ArcaBoard, have no future because they waste an enormous amount of power.