Science & Technology

Where are the flying cars and hoverboards ?

By T.K. Randall
January 1, 2015 ·  14 comments

The real-life version of Marty McFly's hoverboard. Image Credit: YouTube / Hendo Hover In the movie Back to the Future II when Marty McFly steps out of the Delorean in the year 2015 he encounters fusion powered flying cars, shoes that lace up by themselves and even skateboards that can float along effortlessly above the ground.

Now that the year 2015 is actually here however, are we anywhere close to achieving these things within the next twelve months or will most of them remain firmly rooted in the realms of science fiction ?

Flying cars
While there have been a few attempts to produce a vehicle that can be called a 'flying car', it is unlikely that such a thing will either be affordable or even available to consumers for several years. That's not to say that there aren't flying cars in the works however - the Moller Skycar M400, the Terrafugia TF-X and the AeroMobil 3.0 are all real-life flying cars currently in development.Self-lacing shoes
This one has actually already been done, albeit as a gimmick rather than as a mainstream product. In 2011 Nike released their Nike Air Mag self-lacing shoes as a nod to the movie and even donated the proceeds to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's disease research.

Fusion power
Powering your car or home using a portable nuclear fusion generator may not happen this year but it may be happening soon. Inventor Andrea Rossi's 'E-Cat' cold fusion energy catalyzer has stayed somewhat under the mainstream radar but appears to be the real deal with several big companies showing an interest in adopting the technology. This is definitely one to watch.

Hoverboard
Californian architect Greg Henderson is behind the Hendo Hoverboard - a real-life version of Marty McFly's iconic skateboard that seems to actually work and should be available to buy this year.


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Tags: Back to the Future, Hoverboards, Flying Cars, 2015