Ever since the release of Back to the Future, people have been clamoring for their own hoverboard. McFly made them look cool as he glided through the future streets. However, it’s 2015 and hoverboards are still not commercially available, neither are self-drying jackets for that matter. But one Canadian inventor is one step closer to making the flying mechanism a reality. Catalin Alexandru (Duru), a Montreal resident, has created his own hoverboard craft with his company Omni Hoverboards.
What’s even more impressive, Duru recently broke the world record for the longest hoverboard flight. Captured and posted on Youtube for all the world to see, Duru flew above Quebec’s Lake Ouareau at a height of five meters ( 16.5 feet) for a total distance of 250 meters (905 feet 2 in). The flight lasted more than 1.5 minutes–that’s more than five times longer than the previous record. His unbelievable flight has been confirmed by the Guinness Book of World records that will include the achievement in the 2016 edition of the book. The hoverboard Duru used to make his record breaking flight is made from a pair of pliers for the accelerator, snowboarding shoes, and lots of lithium batteries.
Aside from breaking records and making jaws drop, Duru and his business partner, Philippe Maalouf, are working on a new hoverboard prototype they hope to finish by the end of the year. They then want to have the crafts available for purchase across the country. Though they are close to finishing and testing the new model, according to Duru they’re going to be pretty expensive. Start saving up now if you hope to own one.
He also warns it’s not a device to be taken lightly; it’s quite dangerous since the pilot uses their feet to fly it. But he’s taking this factor into consideration. The future prototype will be digitally locked and will only fly about 1.5 meters above the ground. And before you hop over to thier website to ask, yes, Duru is a fan of Back to the Future.
