BayAreaKiteboarding.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsNdvgwCli8[/video]
what do you think?

There was a thread on KF about the "next big innovation" in kiteboarding. Here was my response...

"Droneboarding: The act of being pulled around on a board by a drone. Instead of using a kite, a drone is substituted.
I figure if someone can invent this, then it's just a matter of time when we will see droneboarding."

After seeing this, I'm now convince it's coming sooner than I thought.
My statement about "if someone can invent this" was referring to the guy who invented the drone hoverboard...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfa9HrieUyQ

It'd essentially just be a [somewhat] 2-dimensionally adjustable tow-point tow-surf setup right?

If you could create a one-handed "square" control that fits over your hand and responds to X/Y axis input maybe through your wrist - and then also has a thumb controller for force that might be interesting.

I think the controller would be the hardest part to design, once you bake that ... you could program the drone to operate at different parts of the "window" and velocities of thrust against the tow line in response to the controller inputs.

The wave implications are obvious - Kiting in waves too powered sucks because the higher the wind the kook sloppier the wave conditions. It's why the best time at any wave spot is always when the wind just barely starts to pick up enough to be kiteable. Droneboard could enable a kitesurf-like experience on those no-wind glassy days

As for non-wave application - in my opinion might as well just go wakeboarding ... way more fun and social ;]

Also I question how far along we are in battery/motor & drone design technology that we can start heavily payloading drones. I saw something last year that weighed about 10 lbs and could carry about its weight in payload. The drones payload capability to tow you around with the force similar to a kite would have to be pretty impressive

Sails on the other hand are about the least technologically advanced yet efficient natural-energy-to-work converters we have.

The fact that we're at a point that we have technology in kitesurfing that allows you to fairly easily be powered surfing waves while maintaining almost complete control over force delivery based on a simple yet elegantly designed mechanical/biological joint venture is more impressive than a really heavy drone engine-ing someone around on a board in my opinion

^ The same sentiment could probably be shared for hydro-foiling

Thanks for posting this - it is very cool to ponder!

2017 ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNNSSugEGCI