Riding a hoverboard allows for a fun and unique experience. But, there is also some pretty cool science behind it. It features a gyroscope, tilt detection systems, and many different kinds of sensors.
This technology is being further developed all the time, so maybe one day, you can take your new hoverboard somewhere that you would never have imagined in the past.
Understanding how a self-balancing board works can help you adjust to riding one. If you know what is happening under your feet, it can be much easier for you to learn how it “feels” to ride it correctly.
So, how exactly does a hoverboard work? Keep reading to find out!
Hoverboards, or self-balancing boards, are built around a frame that can pivot in the middle. They include sensors that pick up the tilted angle of the frame and interact with a gyroscope to face upwards all of the time.
What do the Lights Mean?
You might have noticed the LED lights on the bottom of your board. They are activated by a switch under your foot and can sense when you have your feet flat, keeping the board standing upright and keeping you stabilized.
In other words, the lights are sensors that help keep you level with the ground . They are an essential part of the system and work with the gyroscopes to keep you standing straight on the hoverboard.
When you lean forward, the light turns off, making the wheels spin. There are two motors in the board, each controlling one wheel, allowing them to move independently from each other- this is why you would be able to make yourself spin in circles while riding one.
How the Board Stays Balanced
Those tilt sensors in the wheels let the gyroscope know which way and how far you are leaning. They use this information to determine how fast to move the motors attached to the wheels. When you lean forward farther, the motor makes the wheels spin even faster.
This way, you do not fall forward- the system keeps up with you and how far you are leaning to keep you balanced on the board. This way, you are also just controlling the speed of your hoverboard with your weight.
It is easy to learn and does not take a lot of energy to make the board move. It does not take a long time to learn to stand on the board either, since it knows how to compensate for how far you are leaning forward.
How the Gyroscope Works
The gyroscope receives the tilt angle from the other sensors and alters the speed levels . This helps keep the system in control as you move. When you step on the board for the first time, you will need to calibrate the gyroscope to how you naturally stand.
This tells the system where “flat” is for you and lets it know when to speed up to adjust to your leaning. This gives hoverboards their unique feel and experience- not many boards make use of a gyroscope system to keep you in place and change speed.
There is a Mini Computer in Your Hoverboard
Did you know? Your hoverboard has something in it called a logic board- this is a tiny computer that is taking all the information from the gyroscope, the wheels, and all the sensors that compute speed and how to adjust the tilt of the board to match your angle.
You can think of the logic board as the thought center of the hoverboard- without it, the board would be rendered useless. This is also where any remote controls for the board you have are connected and allow you to change between different modes.
Why the Battery is Opposite the Logic Board
There is a good reason why in a quality hoverboard the lithium battery is on the opposite side of the logic board. This reduces the build-up of heat between the two components. If you have heard stories about boards combusting, you can bet that the battery was right on top of the logic board.
Lesser quality hoverboards even have been known to not have a way to secure the battery into its intended place, giving it the room to slide around and wreak havoc on the board’s systems.
Hoverboards are being developed further. In a few years, you might have access to stronger batteries, wheels, and suspension. With that, you could take the hoverboard further, ride it longer, and maybe even take it off-road.
You might have noticed that your hoverboard does not work outdoors well, but with the developing technology, you might soon be gliding over any terrain you can imagine!
Most of the issues in modern hoverboards come from the batteries being used. Many lesser quality boards lack a system to deal with overcharge and break when left on the charger for too long. Which is easy to do- as most take under two hours to reach 100% battery levels.
Once this is fixed, you can expect your device to hold a longer charge- that will not cause the board to malfunction. A powerful battery will let you go more difficult to navigate places as well.
Conclusion
In short, the board works by using a gyroscope paired with a system that can sense the level of the ground as well as the angle of your tilt. This keeps you upright as the wheels adjust to your lean and change up the speed as a reaction.
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