Video shows hoverboard going up in flames
Hoverboards might be all the rage, but they have been making headlines recently for proving to be safety hazards. The devices are known to overheat and catch on fire.
A new YouTube video making the rounds from user BuleBritish shows his first attempt at using his new hoverboard taking a turn for the worst.
"My first test on my new hoverboard did not go as planned," the user wrote in the video's description.
As CNET notes, it starts out like standard "unboxing" video at first, showing the hoverboard's new owner taking it out of its packaging. Once he has the device out in the open, he tries to get the hoverboard to work, and soon it starts smoking. Before long, it bursts into flames and he jumps out of the away to avoid the fire.
This video follows several reports blaming overheated hoverboard batteries for starting house fires. Concern about hoverboard safety even prompted major airlines to ban them from passenger flights.
A research team out of Stanford University is hoping its work might help make this frightening phenomenon a thing of the past. The scientists announced this week they've developed a lithium-ion battery that automatically regulates itself so it won't overheat and catch fire.
