Hobbyist takes his drone hoverboard onto the streets in viral videos
The weight to lift ratio of drones is getting better exponentially, and this wouldn't have been possible just two years ago.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2021) 'Hobbyist takes his drone hoverboard onto the streets in viral videos', 311 Institute, 6 May. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/hobbyist-takes-his-drone-hoverboard-onto-the-streets-in-viral-videos/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Los Angeles based digital creator Hunter Kowald recently unveiled a fully functional "hoverboard" made from industrial grade components, Design Boom reports. As a host of viral videos of Kowald flying his machine show the hoverboard is actually semi-comparable to the famous hoverboard first shown off in the Back to the Future movies.
Unlike Lexus's sci-fi hoverboard, which relies on pre-installed maglev tracks, and those popular two-wheeled hoverboard devices that don't actually hover, Kowald's "hoverboard aircraft" can fly you almost anywhere you want to go.
Kowald's machine is undeniably more a mountable drone than a flying hoverboard in the true sense, but the flying board is such a staple of popular culture that anything vaguely resembling the sci-fi machines seems to go by the moniker these days.
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In a recent Instagram post showcasing his machine, Kowald said, "I’ll never be able to explain the insane amount of work this took. People told me you can’t break the laws of physics. And well … after a global effort of custom part manufacturing and plenty spontaneous fires & explosions... watch me dance."
The flying machine has, unsurprisingly, garnered plenty of attention online - several videos of Kowald flying his hoverboard have gone viral in recent days, and Kowald claims his machine lifts up to 226 kg (500 lb).
The manned drone was built with a custom carbon fiber structure and was engineered with safety and efficiency in mind - in the event that two motors or one power system were to fail, the hoverboard would still be able to land, Kowald said. The hoverboard is also equipped with lighting certified by the FAA.
In an emergency situation, meanwhile, the machine's propellers are capable of breaking the speed of sound and "sustain supersonic speed to compensate forces lost," Kowald explained.
It goes without saying that flying machines are dangerous even if they have numerous failsafe features in place — last year, French stuntman Vincent "Vince" Reffet died in Dubai during a training accident with a jetpack. Still, drone technology is arguably safer, and is definitely more sustainable, than jetpack technology, meaning we may see more designs like Kowald's in the near future.
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The weight to lift ratio of drones is getting better exponentially, and this wouldn't have been possible just two years ago.
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Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Design Boom reports designboom.com
- recent Instagram post instagram.com
- World europe 54982634 bbc.co.uk
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 6 May 2021. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2021). Hobbyist takes his drone hoverboard onto the streets in viral videos. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/hobbyist-takes-his-drone-hoverboard-onto-the-streets-in-viral-videos/
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