01 January 2018
For their final-year project, five students from the School of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering in Singapore Polytechnic built a hoverboard that can levitate and move along a track.
The hoverboard is built based on the principles of quantum levitation. The bottom of the hoverboard is a box consisting of six superconductors, which when cooled, possess the capability of being suspended in the air within a magnetic field.
The hoverboard does not require electricity or combustion of any fuels, which makes it much cleaner and better for the environment, compared with the magnetic levitation technology used in bullet trains which uses electricity. Since there is no friction between the board and the track, little wear and tear is expected.
The team will present the project at the annual SP Engineering Show next month to industrial partners and professionals.