A lot of hoverboard fanatics were disappointed to learn that recent sleek-looking attempts were ultimately limited to skating above the surfaces of special magnetic plates, often carefully concealed beneath pavement or ramps, but this model goes above and beyond, using actual fans to float is riders.

The ArcaBoard from ArcaSpace can hover a person for six minutes using a combination of 36 fans strapped beneath it – 300 horsepower lifting a human up to around 250 pounds. On-board stabilizers help keep it upright while a cooling system and aerospace-grade composite materials prevent overheating.

The device is not cheap, listed at $20,000 but really meant more as a proof of concept than good for purchase. It is still a long way from a cheap, sleek, off-the-shelf model, but at least this version is free of the constraints of other models, if only for a few minutes at a time.

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Playing on our inherent love of all things small, shiny, motorized, and novel, Japanese company Cocoa Motors has come up with a brilliant little motorized vehicle. They say it’s the world’s smallest electric vehicle, and they just might be right – it’s around the size of a MacBook (one of the larger-screened models, but still) and looks just as sleek.

The WalkCar operates on the same steering principles as the Segway. You simply lean your body in the direction you wish to you. Leaning forward propels you, swaying slightly to the left or right steers the device deftly around obstacles, and judging from the video, jumping straight off of it like a frightened cat is what makes it stop.

The inventors say that the WalkCar is powerful enough to push a heavy load in front of you on a hand truck or even to drive someone around in a wheelchair. But the device is so light that you can carry it around in a backpack or shoulder bag with no discomfort.

We immediately became lost in thoughts of how many rad Halloween costumes we could make using this bad boy to create the appearance of floating above the ground. The catch, though, is that the WalkCar is still in the prototype stage and not yet available for purchase. Cocoa Motors will start a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for production – watch their site for more news.

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Solving the ‘last mile’ problem for daily commutes and short urban trips, the Bolt skateboard boasts a combination of features as well as its status as the world’s smallest, lightest and easiest-to-carry electric vehicle.

From the designers: “Walking is too slow and time consuming. Most of the time taking the car is cumbersome  and useless because you need to find space for parking. The bicycle must always be locked and made safe otherwise can be stolen. Even if you use  public transport, you still need a last mile solution small enough to be carried with you everywhere.”

With speeds up to 13 miles per hour, it may not compete with a car but is comparable to a bike while being a lot less bulky and something you don’t need to lock up between uses. At 24 by 10 inches (4 thick), it is small enough to fit onto the back of a pack. As a bonus, you can use the board’s charge to power your mobile electronic devices as needed, too.

More on its origin from its maker, a robotic engineering student named Lorenzo Cella: “Every day I take the train to go to university. From home I have to walk to the station, take the train and once there I have to walk to class. I have to do the reverse path back home every noon. I’ve counted that I spend 1 hour and 30 minutes walking everyday, 7km (4.5 miles) . I noticed that covering this distance by foot every day, in addition to waste my time, makes me get home tired and with little desire to do anything else.”

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Dubbed a ‘Postmodern skateboard’ by its creators, these sidewinding circular skates are more portable than a skateboard, easier to slip into and out of than inline skates.

Certain tricks are trickier to be sure, but spinning in circles is easier than it would be for most on rollerblades or other skating devices. Thick rubber tires also make it possible to skate over grass and other non-uniform surfaces. A given pair of skates can also be connected for a rod for a more hybrid skateboarding-style experience.

Hammacher schlemmer is known for its unusual creations, but this one is surprisingly practical – at least if you can get the hand of its use. Each skate can support 200 pounds of weight so you can shift and move accordingly. For $100, though, they may be cheap enough to give a go even if you are not quite sure of your coordination.

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Besides wearing a helmet and protective pads and knowing what you’re doing, there aren’t many ways to make skateboarding a safer sport. It’s inherently dangerous to careen around on a little plank with wheels stuck to the bottom. But inventor Jorge Arjona has come up with a device that could eliminate one of the more serious dangers skateboarders face: rocks.

The Rockochet is a clever little plastic piece that fits on your board’s trunk. It’s kind of like the “cowcatcher” on the front of trains that moves debris out of the way so the junk won’t derail the train. But in this case, the train is a skateboard and the derailing debris is the rocks that can stop a wheel and send the rider hurtling into the air.

While skateboarding is a legitimate (and eco-friendly!) form of transportation, Arjona realized that a lot of skaters also like to do tricks. The Rockochet is lightweight and flexible enough that it won’t interfere with most of those tricks. Experienced skaters say it’s a great way to help beginners build their confidence on a board without worrying about the possibility of a rock wiping them out.

The Rockochet was up for funding on Kickstarter but missed its goal before the funding period was up. We don’t know what will happen to the product in the future, but on behalf of skaters and their worried parents everywhere we seriously hope this product makes it to market soon.

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