From the dawn of time mankind has dreamed of flight. As I child, I would often jump from the top of monkey bars, flailing my arms wildly in an attempt to join my feathered friends. A decade later, as the first month of the new year has come to a close, the burning question still remains: Where’s my hoverboard? In Back to the Future II, Marty McFly travels to the year 2015 where he zips through the air on an awesome floating board (if you consider girly and pink to be awesome, that is; but hey, it’s still a hoverboard.) Will we ever “McFly” or is it just a lie, forever trapped in the realm of sci-fi? Luckily, we’ve still got a few months until October 2015 when the scene took place. Humanity has already accomplished so much in the 25 years since the film’s making that the future of this technology appears to be quite promising.

Though much credit is due to the Wright Brothers for their aeronautical advancements, the Hendo hoverboard takes the idea of soaring through the sky above and beyond our wildest dreams. As it turns out, it is the #1 invention of 2014 according to TIME magazine’s article “The 25 Best Inventions of 2014.” However, I wouldn’t recommend searching for them at your local Toys R Us store. With only 10 being made to order, a battery life of 15 minutes and market price of $10,000, they might not be a substitute for skateboards just yet. Using four disc-shaped magnets to create an electromagnetic field, Hendos generate a mere one-inch lift and, even then, only over conductors that do not contain iron (aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, tin). While it hasn’t yet reached full commercialization status, “The hoverboard is the first step to bringing this technology into the world,” Hendo founder Greg Henderson explains. While they may not revolutionize transportation, hoverboards could be used for a much nobler purpose: to save lives. According to TIME, Henderson envisions a sort of “emergency lifting system that could theoretically raise a building off of its foundation during an earthquake and eliminate risks for emergency workers. It would essentially render the natural disaster’s tremors harmless.”

There’s only one way to adequately express the magnitude of mankind’s innovative prowess. In the words of the great inventor of time travel himself, “Great Scott!” Way to make Doc Emmett Brown proud, Hendo!