HUVr Board

mistercow 12 years ago |

Something about this just seems mean spirited to me. I guess it is authentic in terms of the kind of ridiculously emotional hype that start ups tend to do these days, but somehow that tone doesn't mix well with the dry viral con.

It's sort of a clash of marketing techniques. The inspirational "we finally live in the future" thing works because it gets people really psyched to have a product. The viral marketing scam thing works because people are good-natured about being tricked if the trick is executed well (the same reason people can enjoy magicians).

But I don't think you can mix those. People are going to be less good-natured about being promised hoverboards again and then finding out that there will be no hoverboards again.

asdkl234890 12 years ago | |

This is making fun of small teams creating revolutionary technology. Maybe not intentionally, maybe they only intend to promote a new movie or video game or something, but intentionally or not, they are making fun of startups.

Startups like these are real. They are creating incredibly cool new technology. The oculus rift, the pebble watch, and tons of others. That's whom this is making fun of.

And because crowd funding is a big part of making these new technologies happen, making fun and creating a fake tech is poisoning the well.

Intentionally or not, this is poising the well that gave us the Oculus Rift and others.

And that's why I really hope this advertising campaign backfires bad. I hope what ever this is supposed to be promoting, be it movies, video games or shoes, I hope it bombs bad. And bombs thanks to pissed off consumers.

waxpancake 12 years ago |

I found the actor that plays the lead engineer in the video. http://nelsoncheng.com/acting

sdfjkl 12 years ago |

I think this might be a viral advert for the next Back To The Future movie. A film studio would have access to special effects, the car, the actors and celebrities and the financial backing for such an elaborate fake.

codezero 12 years ago | |

The effects weren't even that elaborate, they all look like they are on a wire.

xauronx 12 years ago | | |

Yep, you could even see their shirts move when the harness takes their weight.

Also, as soon as they "hover" they're suddenly putting no weight on their legs. Unless hovering implies complete gravity reversal, that doesn't make sense. They'd still be putting all their weight on the board.

Ok, for an obvious fake, I care too much :)

mistercow 12 years ago | |

That and it mimics a similar prank that Zemeckis back when BttF 2 came out.

codezero 12 years ago |

It really is depressing to me that people are OK with getting paid to flat out lie. I guess I'm less surprised it's celebrities, but still, it's sad.

picklepete 12 years ago |

From their T&Cs ( http://huvrtech.com/legal.html):

"The inclusion of any products or services on this website at a particular time does not imply or warrant that these products or services will be available at any time."

Just in case anyone thinks this is a real product.

chaostheory 12 years ago | |

Well they could have problems with manufacturing. Making real physical products in mass quantities does incur problems that deploying software does not.

They T&C also has this

> In addition to other regulations and speed limits, users of our products must be at least 16 years of age and between the height of 4’11 and 6’4. To ride safely, you must read and follow all instructions and warnings in the User Manual. It is your responsibility to ascertain and obey all applicable regulations (including minimum age and height requirements) in regard to the possession, use and sale of any item purchased from this website. By placing an order, you represent that the products ordered will be used only in a lawful manner.

As well as stating somewhere that this only works with 180lbs or lower.

UPDATE: I got trolled. No patents or patent applications and their domain has a hidden owner.

twiceaday 12 years ago |

Tony Hawk was quoted recently saying that he is working on a new video-game. It's possible that this is a viral marketing spot for it.

johncoogan 12 years ago |

I would like to see a startup sell the wiring equipment that allows you to perform the hovering tricks featured in this video. I bet it's really fun to fly around on one of those harnesses, even if it doesn't use magical anti-gravity technology.

jaredsohn 12 years ago |

If this is promoting new Back To The Future content, I think a video game makes much more sense than a movie, since the actors are getting old but their voices can still adapt.

For those unaware, this has been done once already via TellTale's Back To The Future: The Game (http://www.telltalegames.com/backtothefuture/) which offers interesting story and featured many of the original actors' voices and takes place a few months after the original movies. (If you don't want to buy it, you can also watch a playthrough on YouTube.)

zacinbusiness 12 years ago |

What would be required to make a real hover board? I assume that first off it would need to be a bit larger. And some kind of control mechanism, maybe near the toe area? But as for the actual tech, is it even remotely possible?

xauronx 12 years ago | |

I'm sure you've seen this, but I was REALLY hoping the video was some kind of large scale riff on this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws6AAhTw7RA

And more awesome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Zqmd...

It's already 3 years old, so I'm waiting for people to use this technology or an extension of it for something cool.

shoebappa 12 years ago | | |

The more awesome one was also a viral fake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhlpyP-2ooE

mistercow 12 years ago | |

To do it with magnets, I'm guessing you'd need a magnetic field so powerful it would destroy electronics as you passed by them (you'd have to repel off of the EM field of the Earth). To do it with air, your "board" would be more of a "tank". Maybe there are other mechanisms you could exploit, like a static field (although I wouldn't want to stand anywhere near it), but none of them seem practical.

mrfusion 12 years ago | |

I guess if we had room temp superconductors and you could install them under all of the roads and sidewalks, and the hover board had really strong magnets onboard, that might hover.

Or if it's a self contained theme park "ride" you could possibly use existing super conductors and actively cool them. (I'm imaging a super cold skate rinc concept)

Can anyone correct my physics understanding?

dchuk 12 years ago |

The reason I know this is fake: I'm 200lbs, and this thing has a max capacity of 180lbs. And I sure as hell know that I weight less than Terrell Owens.

willtheperson 12 years ago |

I can imagine this actually working in special parks with some kind of maglev system. People would line up for that experience

Raphmedia 12 years ago |

Clearly fake. What I don't see is why?

Joeboy 12 years ago | |

My concern is that by even asking that question, we generate something that can be interpreted as "buzz" for whatever bullshit this turns out to be.

michaelbuckbee 12 years ago | |

My original guess was that there was going to be a twist with a "for the price of a Huvrboard you can sponsor a child" type message.

As that didn't happen my guess is that it's 'viral marketing' for a BackToTheFuture movie that's unannounced.

aortega 12 years ago | | |

If it's a new BTTF movie then I forgive them.

Prefinem 12 years ago | |

I was waiting for the "april fools" or the "ha ha, maybe in 20 years" but there is non of that

aortega 12 years ago | |

Yes, too much effort for only a bad joke.

killnine 12 years ago | |

why so positive?

lisper 12 years ago | | |

Because a real huvr board would violate the laws of physics in so many ways.

fuckhead 12 years ago | | |

yes, which i am sure you are the master of.

rmtutty 12 years ago | | |

Stop being a fuckhe.....oh, nvm.

downandout 12 years ago |

Damnit gravity. You can be so cruel. When you're not crashing airplanes and killing unlucky thrillseekers, you're dashing my hoverboard hopes.

Seriously though, this has to be for a new Tony Hawk video game, and Moby probably did some music for it. Not sure what Terrell Owens is doing there.

togasystems 12 years ago |

I wonder how much all the cameos cost?

chaostheory 12 years ago | |

I didn't really think they were all needed but apparently even celebrity endorsements from Tony Hawk isn't enough to convince people that this is a real product. Whether or not it comes out without any issues is another story.

I remember reading a story that Mattel actually had a prototype over a decade ago, but they declined to release it. I forgot why.

Strange. It looks almost exactly like the Mattel hoverboard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSdF1iH2UDw

I guess it is fake =( Back to the Future II takes place in 2015

mistercow 12 years ago | | |

If Mattel had a prototype of this over a decade ago, why would we not at least see the principles behind it in other technology?

chaostheory 12 years ago | | |

I was trolled twice. Once by the special effects guy and director from Back to the Future II in the late 80s and today =) For details look up hoverboard on Snopes.

mistercow 12 years ago | | |

Yeah, I remember that. It seems like the best evidence that this is for a new BttF movie.

richiverse 12 years ago |

This should be possible with a powerful enough acoustic field, no?

coomeral 12 years ago |

You can see in this video http://snip.ps/cDFL that the riders are centering their gravity, they are all athletes so naturally they make it look easy.

treve 12 years ago | |

This links to an Ad.

dangowango 12 years ago |

Why is this on here?

eudox 12 years ago | |

It has kind of a start-uppy name, wouldn't you agree?

helloanand 12 years ago |

So, it's a fake? Dammit, it got me so excited.

eli_gottlieb 12 years ago |

This is the trolliest troll that has ever trolled.

michaelbuddy 12 years ago |

somebody should have asked Moby why he was there.

bigpool 12 years ago | |

Hahaha, I was thinking the same thing....

cliveowen 12 years ago |

Jimmy Kimmel, this is getting old.

relampago 12 years ago |

smh