!: Air Hockey Table Blower Ideas: November 2011

!: What Shape will Hover Boards of the Future Be?

Everyone knows what a skateboard looks like, but will it always look like that? The reason I ask is that in the 1900s a skateboard was a two-by-four with roller skate wheels attached and a basket or crate in the middle used to zoom down hills and crash on.

So, obviously the modern day skateboard is nothing similar. Thus one must ask what will the Hover Boards of the future be like and what shape will they be? These future hoverboards can be any shape and designers being unlimited in thought must consider all shapes for instance possible shapes might be;

Spade Shape - Deck of CardsManta Ray ShapeFrisbee ShapeTriangle ShapeStealth Fighter ShapePentagon ShapeTear Drop ShapeOval ShapeBernoulli Flying Wing with Gates Whatever shape is chosen it must provide the aerodynamic solutions for our challenges. It would be smart to stay away from shapes that are too wide because as the rider turns the sides would hit the ground and the lower the unit hovers the better the performance when in full-ground affect. Indeed the wings would be fatter more rounded and less swept with more camber. The point is we are not bound by the shape of the present period skateboard we are talking about the Future.

Additionally another important point is that we must not waste any airflow in our design. Thus air which is blown underneath will need to be re-used thru a series of design shaping strategies to force that air back along the aerodynamic structures of the hoverboard body.

The goal is to build a hover board which can travel like a hockey puck on and near table game board; very fast and maneuverable. Then use that speed to gain lift from the relative wind and use deflection strategies for maneuvers and tricks, jumping and clearing objects. Since forward flight does exist also the rider will employ angle of attack strategies as well.

If the rider decides to slow down or turn directions then they will simply pivot the board into the relative when and use that to slow down and change directions. During this transitional phase flight the airflow coming at the bottom of the hover board will need to be trapped and redirected back around thru the turbines rather than fighting them so the rider can zoom off and the other direction.

One other consideration to all this is that the rider's feet or shoes will get in the way of the airflow and since they will be adjusting their feet position for stability, it makes sense to have a raised platform where the rider will stand away from the actual board. In doing this the Bernoulli Principle and venture effect might also be employed forcing the airflows to speed up and into the intake area for the hover blowers.

All this is possible but it will radically change the design and looks of what we consider to be a modern-day skateboard. The futuristic design will be very cool looking and like nothing you have ever seen before. Will it fly? Yes and like nothing else you have ever seen either.