Not quite a Segway to an actual hoverboard

Originally published by: PCWorld.com

Those faux-hoverboards that look like Segways with the handlebars cut off have gotten all the attention lately, what with the exploding batteries and viral videos of riders wiping out. But hoverboards that actually hover do exist—they’re just...really expensive.

Case in point, take a look at the Arcaboard, a hoverboard from aeronautics company Arca Space Corporation.

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Unlike some hoverboards, like the Hendo and Lexus’s prototype hoverboard, which only work on certain conductive surfaces the Arcaboard can hover on just about any surface thanks to its 36 electric fans. These fans produce 272 horsepower and can carry up to 243 pounds depending on the model, according to the company.
Unlike the Hendo and the Lexus board, the Arcaboard isn’t exactly shaped like a skateboard. In fact, it looks a little like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

On other words, no, you won’t be able to kickflip it. 

All those fans require quite a bit of power, though, so the Arcaboard only gets three to six minutes of hover time. The battery normally takes upwards of six hours to charge, but the Arca offers an optional recharging dock that the company says will recharge the board in only 35 minutes.
It sounds ridiculously cool, but odds are you won’t be able to afford one: The Arcaboard costs $19,900 and the dock costs $4500. Maybe in a few years, actual hoverboards will be the must-have Christmas present, but for now, the Arcaboard makes for cool proofs of concept.