The Newest Trend Taking Kean by Storm
William Asante riding his hover board down Cougar Walk.
By Rose Marie Kitchen on Sept. 28, 2015
A new way of getting from point A to B is hitting the streets and college campuses across the country.
The days of casually walking to class are starting to become extinct. We’ve seen bicycles, skateboards, longboards, and now the new hover board/glider trend has arrived.
The boards are described as a two-wheeled, self-balancing, electric scooter and have made their way to Kean University. William Asante, sophomore Business and Accounting major, has been riding his board since the semester began. Asante is a more experienced rider, as he is known to ride pretty fast and also make quick turns.
“I bought the board because I felt like it would be very convenient for me to move around and it seemed cool,” said Asante. “I ride it everywhere but I get off when I’m in some buildings or stations.”
During any given moment these boards can easily be spotted on campus. Some are even spotted being road in buildings; which leave people to wonder about the safety concern regarding these boards. Students aren’t permitted to ride bicycles or skateboards in buildings, so many wonder if this trend should really be any different? Currently, there are over 14,000 hover board fail videos are publicly displayed on YouTube for people to view just how dangerous the boards can be.
“People go fast and could possibly take down someone that’s not paying attention,” said Karime Diaz, sophomore Communications/Public Relations major. “I believe they are equally hazardous as skateboards, because they are both fast moving objects and accidents always happen no matter how careful a person can be.”
No worldwide agreement has been accepted on the official name of these boards because no company that produces the boards owns the original patent. When there is no original patent it makes it easy for duplications to be reproduced and sold. However, these boards do commonly go under the name of hover board or glider.
The board is controlled completely based off where the body weight is positioned, while standing on the board. A person can travel up 10 miles per charge. The max speed of the board ranges from 6.2 miles per hour (mph) to 9.2 mph.
There are different styles, features and colors of every board. Based off hovglider.com the average board with seven inch rubber tires sells for $575.00 and a board with 10 inch air tires sells for $699.00.
Potential customers can find the boards being sold under brand names like Hov-Glider, MonoRover, Cyboard, IO Hawk, Hovertrax, PhunkeeDuck, Glidr, Future Foot, Airboard, Mini-Segway, Esway, Freego, and more.
These boards are a quick and fun way to get from class to class. Some students think this trend is here to stay, while others think it is just a phase.
“I love the board and I feel like it’s definitely a trend that is here to stay,” said Asante.
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