Just this April he upped the ante significantly, with a new device that swaps out water jets for jet engines, and quickly used it to start breaking records. Things are continuing to move at quite a pace, with US company Implant Sciences today announcing its intention to purchase Zapata Industries. The company is a leading manufacturer of explosive detection tech for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Gizmag caught up with Franky Zapata earlier this year to witness his attempt to break the "furthest flight by a hoverboard" world record. After the jet-powered Flyboard Air helped him smash the record, traveling more than 2 km (1.2 mi) in just seven minutes, we sat down with the man, and got a good look at the tech itself. It's an impressive device, made largely from carbon fiber, packing four 250-horsepower jet engines, and using a proprietary algorithm to maintain stability during flight.