Recently, “Hoverboards” have been all the rage. As exciting as hoverboards (exploding batteries and all) are, nothing beats the satisfaction of making your own! With this excellent project from XenonJohn there is nothing to stop you from spending a weekend doing just that. The hoverboard works by reading inputs from a gyroscope and accelerometer to ensure that the central wheels always stay under the rider's centre of gravity, thus, “balancing” the skateboard. Although an advanced project it is very well documented and certainly achievable if you are willing to put in the time. To get started visit the Instructable.
Once completed you will be able to ride around on your skateboard by controlling it from your Wii Nunchuck as shown in the video below:
If you are looking for an accelerometer and gyroscope why not check out the Freetronics 9-DOF IMU (an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that combines three sensors to track a total of 9 degrees-of-freedom (DOF)). The sensor combines an accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope into one tiny, Arduino compatible package which would be perfect for this project. To find out more and to order visit the 9-DOF IMU product page.
