This Is The Only REAL Hoverboard Video You’ll See This Year

Hoverboards made a big splash this holiday season — but mostly because they've been catching fire, and uncoordinated adults keep falling off them and hurting themselves. Also, unfortunately, they're still wheeled, and are more like a handlebar-less Segway than a floating skateboard of Back to the Future ilk. But next year, the hoverboard game could be a completely different story. A company called Arca Space created a real, working hoverboard that actually floats. The ArcaBoard, as it's dubbed, uses 36 fans to keep its rectangular board (and the person standing on it) floating just above the earth's surface. The fans can generate 272 horsepower (430 pounds of thrust), according to its website. Check out the ArcaBoard in action below.

While it does actually float — on any surface — it's still extremely limited, though. For one, it doesn't look like there's any real way to steer it. Floating is cool, but the whole point of a hoverboard is transportation. And then, there's the price tag, a whopping $19,900. It doesn't even appear that you can actually buy the thing yet. However, as Arca is a space company, the technology side of things does look legit. Hopefully it's only a matter of time before it's commercially available (and at a more palatable price point). As we dream of our hoverboard-filled, floating future, we should also take a moment to appreciate the hilarious and painful reality of today's boards. The force is definitely not strong with everyone.