Real-life Green Goblin? This Chinese inventor built a real flying hoverboard and flew it over mountains

A 26-year-old Chinese tech influencer has gone viral after building and flying a homemade, manned hoverboard over mountain peaks, city streets and the Yangtze River in central China. Song Xingyu, known online as “Amazing Ayu,” released footage of the test flight on October 15, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) report.

Song, from Enshi in Hubei province, spent roughly two months developing the experimental vehicle before piloting it during China’s National Day holiday period. The video shows him hovering above the Yangtze River, gliding over mountain ranges and urban areas, before landing safely in a canyon.

The project has drawn millions of views and widespread attention online, with many viewers comparing the device to the flying board used by the Green Goblin in the Spider-Man films—an inspiration Song has acknowledged.

Song’s first prototype relied on micro turbojet engines, but testing ended badly when the machine caught fire. He abandoned that design and moved to an electric propulsion system, ultimately building a hoverboard powered by ten brushless motors and controlled largely through the pilot’s body movements.

The final version is described as AI-monitored and reportedly capable of carrying the weight of four adults. Song used AI-enabled smartphones—one mounted on the board and another worn on his wrist—to provide real-time audio guidance and help him maintain balance during flight.

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The inventor has said he learned much of the mechanical engineering and flight-control knowledge needed for the project on his own. It describes him as a self-taught creator who began experimenting with model aircraft using scrap materials after leaving school at 14 to work in his father’s timber yard.

His earlier ventures included commercial FPV drone photography, which helped fund his experiments. He converted an abandoned shed into a workshop, where he developed the hoverboard after several failed prototypes and financial setbacks.

Despite the excitement, the flight remains an experimental stunt rather than certified personal air transport. Aviation experts and regulators generally warn that unlicensed manned drones or hoverboards pose serious risks, including battery fires, loss of control, and danger to people below.

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Song reflected on the risk in remarks: “I had nothing to begin with, so what am I afraid of losing? Moving forward bravely is the best choice.”