Hubei man builds flying skateboard inspired by Spider-Man villain

A video of a young man riding a flying skateboard has recently become a viral sensation. The rider is 25-year-old Song Xingyu, from Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, Hubei province.

Song is self-taught in mechanics, flight control, and AI technology. Obsessed with Spider-Man since childhood, he set out to recreate the Green Goblin's glider. The first version was fitted with five turbojet engines, generating enough thrust to lift three adults. During its first test, the engines burst into flames, burning out all fuel lines and circuits.

He fed the test data into an AI agent for analysis, which pinpointed the root cause: the engines were spaced too closely together, and hot exhaust bounced off the ground and got sucked back into the air intakes. The AI also recommended that he abandon the turbojet design and switch to an electric setup.

After another two months of work, the second version was ready. The skateboard is equipped with 10 brushless power units, each delivering more than 30 kilograms of thrust. It boasts a peak current of 2,000 amperes and a total thrust greater than the weight of four adults. Staying true to his geek ethos, he even mounted the throttle on a finger ring.

This made the craft extremely tricky to pilot. A slight tilt of the body would send the skateboard spiraling out of control. The test flight for the second version began well. However, poor throttle control caused a stall, leaving Song with sprained hands and feet and scraped knees.

"That sense of frustration is indescribable," he said. Still, he refused to quit. He built an AI flight monitoring system using two smartphones. While airborne, the AI sent real-time voice alerts through Bluetooth earbuds. After two weeks of intensive training, during this year's National Day holiday, he flew the skateboard across the Yangtze River and over the county seat in Badong county of Enshi, followed by test flights in the canyon at the Baren River scenic area.

Dai Xiaoying, a staff member at the scenic spot, said Song's team arrived on Oct 6 and stayed for roughly four to five hours. The takeoff point was an open lot next to the scenic area's visitor center, and the landing spot was a platform deep in the canyon. The whole flight lasted just over two minutes, covering more than 300 meters, and was smooth and seamless from start to finish.

Song's videos on Douyin (the Chinese equivalent of TikTok) have earned nearly 4 million likes, drawing attention from many major media outlets. Some netizens praised his courage, while others voiced safety concerns.

"It is only when I'm doing these things that I feel alive. Please don't follow my example," Song said.