Gliding into the Future

Gliding+into+the+Future

Karly Halsey (11th), Reporter

If you have any sort of social media account, there is a high chance that you have heard of a glider. Also known as Erover, Smart Balance Wheel, IO Hawk, Fortech, etc., these two wheeled self-balancing boards are the latest and greatest technology of the year.

These revolutionary new boards are controlled by the pressure of the user’s feet on the two footpads. Based on what the rider tells it to do by their foot movements, they can go forwards, backwards, or even spin.

Depending on the brand, they can reach speeds of up to ten miles an hour and can travel as far as twenty miles in just one battery charge. These boards are very versatile because they can ride over just about any surface; grass, concrete, carpet, tile, etc..

Making these boards even more convenient, they are able to obtain a full charge in less than an hour. This short charge time makes it very easy to get lost in time while riding one.                                                                                                                                             The popularity for gliders started around May 2015, when celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner, and other social media stars, posted videos of them riding their very own. This sparked an interest in all of their followers due to the fact of how enjoyable they look to ride.

With their brand name boards costing around $1,800, not many of their followers were willing to purchase one. However, with the interest growing, many off brand companies began to produce their own almost identical boards. They sell them for hundreds of dollars cheaper (some as low as two hundred dollars), and ship them to customers’ houses within weeks. This gave the public a much easier chance to get one of their own.

Even Pitman High School sophomore student, Megan Brown had the chance to get to ride one.

“They are so easy to learn how to ride.” she states.

After only about three minutes of practice, she had already gotten the hang of it, and within only fifteen minutes of riding, she was already comfortable maneuvering throughout her house. All it takes is to acquire the needed balance, and from then on, gliding is simple.

However, even though it was hard for her to get the hang of getting off of it, both Brown and her neighbors agreed that it was one of the greatest inventions they had ever witnessed.

“This is the future of transportation.” she claims.

As she spends most of her time on it, she is so entertained by the fact that she can simply get up and ride to the kitchen to make food, or do any simple task, as she is gliding.

Gliders are very practical means of transportation. With the growing demand for these boards, everyone will soon be gliding around.