Airboard
Encyclopedia
The Airboard is the first commercially marketed single-person hovercraft
/hoverboard
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Kevin Inkster invented the world's first commercial hoverboard scooter, called the Airboard after being inspired by the Back to the Future
movies.
In the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics, Inkster showed off his space-age looking Airboard by riding it around the Olympic stadium.
, which touches the ground, to accelerate.
. To accelerate, the rider shifts his or her weight forward to allow more air to exit the back of the vehicle. By shifting backward, the rider activates a drive wheel, which actually contacts the ground to move the Airboard forward.
The rider controls the Airboard by shifting their weight from side-to-side, similar to how one would ride a skateboard or surfboard. By varying the amount of weight transfer, the driver can make sharp or soft turns. Sliding and 360-degree turns are also possible.
In order to stop, the rider lets off of the accelerator, at which point the board will drift to a stop due to friction
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Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
/hoverboard
Hoverboard
A Hoverboard is a fictional hovering board used for personal transportation in the films Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III. Hoverboards resemble a skateboard without wheels. Through special effects the filmmakers depicted the boards hovering above the ground...
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Kevin Inkster invented the world's first commercial hoverboard scooter, called the Airboard after being inspired by the Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
movies.
In the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics, Inkster showed off his space-age looking Airboard by riding it around the Olympic stadium.
Engineering
The Airboard is a small version of a conventional hovercraft that, ridden while standing up, uses the same air cushion principles to glide just above the ground. However, there are some differences; for instance, the Airboard is unable to hover over water like the hovercraft, and it uses a drive wheelDrive wheel
A drive wheel is a roadwheel in an automotive vehicle that receives torque from the powertrain, and provides the final driving force for a vehicle. A two-wheel drive vehicle has two driven wheels, and a four-wheel drive has four, and so-on....
, which touches the ground, to accelerate.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Shell | The fiberglass platform used for the rider to stand on |
| Engine and fan | Suspended under the shell to provide the air cushion and thrust Thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's second and third laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction on that system.... |
| Rubber skirt | Used to form an air cushion under the vehicle |
| Friction drive wheel | A wheel that comes into contact with the ground to provide added acceleration |
| Handlebar | Includes two control levers, one for engine/fan speed and one for the friction drive clutch Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device which provides for the transmission of power from one component to another... |
Dimensions
- Diameter: 1.6 m (6 ft 3 in)
- Height incl. handle: 1.2 m (4 ft 0 in)
- Deck height: 30 cm (1ft 0 ins)
- Top speed asphalt: 25 km/h (15 mph) subject to conditions
- Incline/ascent: 30 degrees
- Fuel: 5 liter (1.3 US gal) gasolineGasolineGasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
(85 OctaneOctaneOctane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula C8H18, and the condensed structural formula CH36CH3. Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain...
unleaded) - Total payload, including rider: 120 kg (220 lb)
- Operating time: 1.5 h on full tank
Controlling the Airboard
The fan underneath the shell of the vehicle provides both the cushion of air and the stream of air that exits through the back of the vehicle to provide thrustThrust
Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's second and third laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction on that system....
. To accelerate, the rider shifts his or her weight forward to allow more air to exit the back of the vehicle. By shifting backward, the rider activates a drive wheel, which actually contacts the ground to move the Airboard forward.
The rider controls the Airboard by shifting their weight from side-to-side, similar to how one would ride a skateboard or surfboard. By varying the amount of weight transfer, the driver can make sharp or soft turns. Sliding and 360-degree turns are also possible.
In order to stop, the rider lets off of the accelerator, at which point the board will drift to a stop due to friction
Friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:...
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