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Court says Amazon is responsible for the safety of third-party products
Amazon may have to change policies after an appeals court found it was responsible for the safety of third-party products.
French inventor is first to cross English Channel using a hoverboard
It took a second try, but Franky Zapata has become the first to cross the English Channel using a hoverboard. The French inventor used his jet-powered Flyboard Air to travel the 22 miles from France to England in 22 minutes, briefly landing on a boat to replace his kerosene-filled backpack. The board wasn't slow, either -- Zapata said he reached speeds up to 106MPH during his journey.
French hoverboard pilot will retry jet-powered flight to England
Inventor of the jet-powered Flyboard Air, Franky Zapata, had his dream of becoming the first person to cross the English Channel by hoverboard dashed last week, after he misjudged the landing for a refuelling stop. But he remains undeterred in his quest, and will be making another attempt this weekend.
Pilot crashes into sea trying to hoverboard from France to England
There are some things man was not meant to do. Flying across the English Channel on a hoverboard may be one of them.
Boosted's 2018 line includes faster and shorter electric skateboards
Boosted has been running some pretty sweet discounts on its line of electric skateboards lately, but those are days coming to a close with today's new product launch for 2018. There are four models this time around, and two versions are even smaller than your standard skateboard deck. That's the Mini, which will arrive in both standard (S) and extended range (X), along with two updated versions of the popular longboard model. Those are the Plus, which comes with extended range as a standard, and a premium Stealth version which comes with a speed boost and grey-toned color scheme. That grey will be the indicator for Boosted's premium versions, which also includes the upcoming Mini X. We're looking forward to testing these out in the coming weeks and will fill you in on the details then. For now, let's take a look at the specs and what's new for Boosted and its business outlook for 2018.
Segway's Loomo is the robotic hoverboard nobody asked for
Hoverboards are ridiculous. They serve no purpose other than signaling that your laziness is only outpaced by your willingness to spend disposable income on fad gadgets. But if you insist on being piggybacked atop a rolling pedestal like a discount Paul Blart, you do you. Just know that it might as well be on one that also transforms into a robotic sidekick and carries your bags for you.
Safety commission recalls more hoverboards after another fire
It seems Hoverboards just won't stop exploding. After the US government declared all self-balancing scooters unsafe, eight more hoverboard brands are being recalled. The latest fire, caused by the LayZ Board, destroyed one home and damaged four others last month, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). It follows a fatal house fire at the hands of the same brand of hoverboard in March.
A visual history of gadgets that have burst into flames
Samsung had a rough 2016. Last year, the company had to recall its Galaxy Note 7 after units were catching fire, followed by millions of washing machines that were exploding in people's homes. But Samsung isn't the only company that's struggled recently with faulty batteries. We've seen similar issues with hoverboards, a Tesla Model S and the latest electric skateboard from Boosted. Let's take a look at other products that have had trouble in the flammability department. And let's hope those non-exploding lithium Ion batteries get here soon.
How an argument led to the creation of a safer 'hoverboard'
German electronics firm Hama had been looking at self-balancing skateboards, better known as Hoverboards or Swagways, for about half a year. It wanted to get into the market and so bought every single device currently available to see how they worked. As the company's Thomas Bobinger described it, these low-cost devices "didn't fit with Hama's brand," probably because of how unsafe they were. The firm promptly washed its hands of the idea and moved on to other projects, until fate decided to intervene.
US recalls 501,000 'hoverboards' over safety concerns
When the US government said that there wasn't a safe 'hoverboard' in the land early this year, it wasn't kidding around. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling 501,000 of the self-balancing vehicles over concerns that their batteries will overheat and catch fire. If you own one, the odds are that you're affected: the notice covers models from relatively big names like AirWalk, Razor and Swagway, and Mashable mentions 10 other brands.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Chicago's high-flying cable cars
When it comes to transportation, no vehicle is more futuristic than the hoverboard -- and it's getting a lot closer to reality. This week a French inventor broke a Guinness World Record by flying 7,388 feet on a hovering device. Meanwhile, Chicago is considering building a line of high-flying crystalline cable cars throughout the city. Chrysler and Google teamed up to create a self-driving minivan, while Lyft announced plans to launch self-driving electric taxis within a year. We also interviewed Lucas Toledo, who created the Gi FlyBike, a futuristic electric bicycle that folds in half in a single second.
Jet-powered hoverboard shatters world record
When footage of a flying hoverboard first emerged last month, many thought it was fake, because the relatively tiny device appears to be breaking the laws of physics. But the "Flyboard Air" from inventor Franky Zapata is real, spectacular and just set a world record for the longest hoverboard flight of all time. It traveled 2,252 meters or 7,388 feet, nearly ten times farther than the mark set last year by Catalin Alexandru Duru on a much larger device. The record has already been certified by Guinness, which attended the event (see the full video, below).
ICYMI: How cancer travels, true hoverboard and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-226789{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-226789, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-226789{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-226789").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: MIT researchers discovered that cancer cells can unclump to squeeze through teeny capillaries, then reassemble as cancer clumps on the other side. Zapata Racing has a prototype of a real hoverboard that can fly just like the Green Goblin's, but only for 10 minutes at a time. And a smart toy for pets called PlayDate will let you play with your cat or dog remotely, by moving the ball around through an app and watching your pet's reaction. We also wanted you to see the video of some construction equipment in a Transformers-like battle, after the humans operating them got into some sort of argument and decided to settle it like Gladiators of road construction. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
ICYMI: Spinal Cancer solution, self-lacing Nikes and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-750693{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-750693, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-750693{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-750693").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Nike will sell widely-available self-lacing shoes by the Holiday season, though we have no idea how much they will cost. Researchers at the Mayo Institute developed a polymer that will let bone regrow on it after a spinal surgery. And Playstation VR will come to the masses in October, for $400. It's been a big week in tech news with SXSW and GDC. And of course, Apple has an announcement next Monday, so be prepared with our story, here. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
US to ban hoverboard imports following Segway complaint
Feds might seize even more "hoverboards" now that the US International Trade Commission has banned most of them from being imported into the country. The ITC didn't issue the order because they're prone to exploding and catching fire -- it did so because of a patent complaint filed by Segway. Under the general exclusion order, any "personal transporter" that infringes upon Patent No. 8830048 (one of Segway's many, many patents) isn't allowed to enter the US.
Feds say there isn't a single safe 'hoverboard'
Some universities only allow "hoverboards" on campus if they have safety seals. Unfortunately, that's not as simple as it sounds. In the Consumer Product Safety Commission's letter to manufacturers, importers and retailers, it urged them to make sure the scooters they make and sell comply with the safety standards set by Underwriters Laboratories. That's the organization in charge of certifying that products are safe for use. The bad news is, according to UL Consumer Safety Director John Drengenberg, that "no hoverboard has passed the certification process at this time."
Fan-powered hoverboard needs your money to kickstart production
Arca Space started accepting pre-orders for its hoverboard in December, but it looks like the company needs a bit more help to begin mass producing the device. The company has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the ArcaBoard and aims to raise $250,000. Unlike those two-wheeled scooters we call "hoverboards" today, the ArcaBoard can actually levitate despite its clunky looks. It can carry up to 243 pounds using the power of 36 small fans and a few bigger ones, which sounds great! Problem is, it has a pitiful, six-minute battery life. Not to mention, it costs a small fortune.
US customs seizes 16,000 counterfeit 'hoverboards'
The US Customs and Border Protection has prevented 16,000 counterfeit "hoverboards" from making it to people's homes. Authorities have seized a warehouse full of the controversial two-wheeled scooters stamped with fake trademark logos and equipped with unauthorized batteries in Chicago. They believe the goods they collected amount to $6 million overall, at least for now. That figure will grow even bigger, since the warehouse is expecting a "massive amount of shipments" to arrive in the next few weeks.
New York City won't let you take 'hoverboards' on the subway
Efforts might be underway to legalize "hoverboards" in New York City, but that doesn't mean that you'll get to take them everywhere you go even if they do get the all-clear. The Metropolitan Transportation Agency has banned the self-balancing scooters on buses, trains and stations over their well-publicized fire risks. Also, the MTA is quick to add that it already bans skateboards and other wheeled transport -- this is just a logical extension of that policy. In short, the chances of ever carrying that Swagway on the subway are pretty much zero. [Image credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images]
US college campuses ban 'hoverboards' over fire risks
If you're planning to get around campus on your new hoverboard, you may want to check your school's policy first. According to AP, at least 20 universities in the US have restricted or banned the two-wheeled scooters due to the fire hazard posed by their lithium-ion batteries. In case you haven't been keeping up with the news, a simple Google search can show you recent reports of homes destroyed by fire allegedly caused by hoverboards that spontaneously blew up. "These things are just catching fire without warning, and we don't want that in any of our dorms," Kean University's Len Dolan said.
