You know that old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Well, these guys haven’t, so have tried to reinvent the already-quite-popular skateboard anyway.
Rocket Scientist Ryan Olliges found that, in his every day role at the University of Southern California, a lot of surplus carbon fibre was be thrown away on a daily basis in the production of spacecraft.
Being a keen skateboarder, and having made a handful of decks in the past, Olliges struck upon the idea of combining the two worlds, and set about making a carbon fibre deck
The result is a board that’s lighter than wood, stronger than steel, and can withstand both water damage and extreme heat.
After some early success, he began refining the shape, built a press, and is now looking to produce a run of the high-tech boards.
To help fund the project, he’s taken to crowd funding site Kickstarter where, at time of going to press, he’s already raised two and half time the $10,000 he was originally asking for, with 15 days of donations left to go.
The board, named the Aileron after part of a planes wing, look pretty rad (if a little Batman), and judging by what we’ve seen, deliver on everything they promise.
Furthermore, they’re made from carbon sourced from refuse – the bits the rocket scientist throw away into landfill – so ever single board made is actually helping the planet.
However, we can’t help but feel that, in the famously stubborn world of skateboarding , a good old fashioned stack of 7ply will remain king until the end of time.
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