Arx Pax and their Hendo Hoverboard technology are heading for space. After attracting much attention Arx Pax this month announced their partnership with NASA, a partnership to take their magnetic technology to space. Sadly NASA isn’t interested in seeing astronauts zipping about on hoverboards but instead they will be creating a tractor beam system to move around micro satellites.

As a mechanism to generate publicity the Hendo Hoverboard was extremely successful, as a hoverboard not so much. This was due to the requirement of the ground being covered in specific metals for the board to hover everywhere. Like the Lexus Slide hovering cannot be achieved on just any surface such as that covering the real world. Luckily satellites are already covered in the required metals making the magnetic magic work just fine.

Unlike the Lexus Slide the Hendo Hoverboard doesn’t use superconducting magnets to hover above its special surface. Instead it uses a technology called Magnetic Field Architecture (MFA) to generate repulsive or attractive forces.  By generating and manipulating magnetic fields in both the transmitter (hoverboard) and target object (ground) the MFA technology can generate the repulsive or attractive forces. Perfect for manipulating micro satellites, little 10cm cube sized chunks of technology that are too small to contain their own propulsion systems.

The magnetic solid state revolution is well underway, mechanical systems with zero moving parts that are driven by magnetic fields are going to change our world completely. Chemical reaction engines may soon seem as outdated as a horse and carriage.

Reference: Arx Pax
Reference: Hendo Hover
Reference: The Verge