http://gizmodo.com/wait-a-minute-did...erb-1713469352

yeah I noticed this today too.
It needs (at this time) a magnetic surface to function to "repel" and stay aloft....for now.

easier and cheaper to grab an old 4-stroke lawnmower engine ...
a whack of bondo and fiberglass...make a couple forms...
couple misc. additional supplies...
wayyougo...
you get far more "lift" ...instead of the current inch-off-the-ground with magnets. Also depending on what methods and materials you use...you don't have to self-propel.
(Not to mention...this lexus hoverboard won't be cheap...in any sane context.)
the diy models aren't light...and the fiberglass and bondo really take alotta scrapes and mean gouges...it won't look as clean and polished as when you1st finished it.... after you play with it ...
the one I built 15 yrs ago was an adaptation on...(I'll find where the link is if it still exists) mine was damned heavy...and loud
couldn't hear any damned thing over it
And the speed it got up to was wayyyy too fast considering my feet and other body parts ended up being the brakes good wind behind me I could do 50mph...Never tried going downhill..that is just mad..and I'm not that crazy...almost hospitalized myself.. ..completely shattered the hoverboard body when it tried to introduce me intimately to a brick wall...I thought I had plenty of room and was nowhere near nothing...then hey! hello mr. wall! ...I got the engine in the corner of my shop....I'm not sure if I'll rebuild it. If I do...I'm not doing directional...just upward thrust..it's just plain safer.
Build your own...find a big empty field make sure you are wearing proper helmet..preferably one that is just a round helmet...has no protruding edges like motercycle helmets...shatterproof safety goggles..bmx body armour with spine protection...kevlar forearm,elbow,knee and shin...horsehide coats are good..better than leather...thicker tougher..otherwise..normal leather and lesser materials...you tumble and you will be having branches, twigs, whatever sticking out of you and almost a guarantee that the ordinary leather riding jacket or less will be peeled from you where it contacted the ground and exposed parts thereby ..good tall boots with reinforced steel...
or lake...don't need to wear so much... make sure you don't go too far out...trying to swim with 35 to over 50 extra pounds dead non-floating weight isn't easy...wear goggles, helmet and lifejacket...if the engine goes far out in the water at least it will be a little easier to drag the bloody thing back in.

if speed isn't essential or desireable...and hopefully battery time will increase...there is always the example of that guy who strapped a couple of drones to his feet...
or even better...the hover-bike that was being worked on ...THAT has more and much better maneuverability ...alot safer than a hoverboard at this time...
An electric skateboard is more practical though..and even then...some of them can get pretty decent speeds going...I do have a friend who has one..out here on the island it is fairly hilly and I've seen a few of them...more and more.. an electric board makes sense...it's just plain weird though to see someone standing still going up a hill...
https://vimeo.com/98363771

good vid and tunes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aO00b2QwHc