Hoverboards are a hovering form of transportation about three times larger than a skateboard. Most float using magnetic levitation, but the Specials use ones that can also use lifting fans when away from deposits of metal.
Utilization
Hoverboards have always been a popular form of transport among Uglies, but until the Mind Rain, Pretties preferred to use hovercars since they did not have the balance and coordination skills needed to ride a board.
Hoverboards can be dangerous for the untrained novice, but safety measures including crash bracelets and grippy shoes help to keep users safe. Even so, falls from high altitudes can cause various arm and shoulder injuries.
Types
- Most boards hover using magnetic levitation. Most, if not all, cities have an underground metal grid for this purpose. They are automatically equipped with warnings if the user strays near restricted areas, goes too fast, goes too high, or flies out of city bounds entirely. Some are even capped at a certain maximum speed.
- Some boards are specially designed for travelling long distance. These boards have built-in metal detectors. Small lights on the nose of the board automatically wink on or off the closer or further the board gets to metal deposits. These hoverboards can unfold into a large sheet that turns jet-black in order to soak in solar power.
- Specials, Cutters in particular, use hoverboards specifically designed for them. Although they can use magnetic levitation, these boards are designed for use anywhere in the wilderness and therefor are built with powerful lifting fans in case no metal is nearby. However, they can overheat to the point of wrenching apart in a shower of white-hot metal.