Some people go to extremes to create the illusion that a building is floating, others, like architect Greg Henderson, are on the way to designing structures that, you know, actually levitate. This week, Henderson's startup Arx Pax introduced (to much media fanfare) what it claims to be "the world's first real hoverboard," though the original premise and current end goal of Arx Pax is still to levitate large buildings out of earthquakes, floods, and other calamities.
Henderson, who filed a patent last year envisioning hovering engines in a building's foundation, is essentially maximizing the simple idea of using powerful magnets to lift heavy things off a metal surface. Right now, the Hendo Hoverboard, which is crowdfunding on Kickstarter for further development, is what Henderson calls "magnetic field architecture" on a small scale. But of course, he's angling for bigger things: if not floating buildings, then at least "hoverparks" where people can ride the new technology. Watch a demo of the hoverboard on a much smaller playground, below.
· I Rode A Hoverboard Designed to Save Buildings From Earthquakes and Floods [The Verge]
· Other Things That Float. [Curbed National]