Song Xingyu, a 26-year-old tech influencer from Hubei, China, known online as Amazing Ayu, piloted a self-built manned hoverboard over the Yangtze River and local mountain peaks on October 15. Powered by ten electric propellers and an AI monitoring system, the flight demonstrated personal aerial technology.
The 26-year-old creator, who amassed more than 3 million social media followers by documenting his engineering projects, spent approximately two months developing the aerial device. His test flight during China’s National Day holiday brought science fiction mechanics into reality across the Yangtze River and mountain peaks, culminating in a safe landing inside a local canyon.
While technology corporations in the United States debuted automated vehicles on curved ramps, Chinese tech observers drew immediate comparisons. Commenters online noted that Tesla probably made a giant flying toy for show, while we Chinese can actually fly.
Engineering the Spider-Man Glider in Hubei
Growing up in a rural family in Enshi, Hubei province, Song left school at 14 to work at his father’s lumberyard. Fascinated by aviation after watching a flight-testing show, he began scavenging scrap materials and using online donations to build model aircraft. By June 2022, he had secured loans to transform an abandoned shed into a personal laboratory.
His early prototypes faced severe hazards. An initial version of his hoverboard, powered by five micro turbojet engines, caught fire during testing when hot exhaust bounced off the ground and entered the air intakes. Rather than abandoning the concept, he fed test data into an AI agent, which advised switching to an electric propulsion setup.
AI and Brushless Power Units Stabilize Hoverboard Flight
The revised skateboard features 10 brushless power units delivering more than 30 kilograms of thrust each, running on a peak current of 2,000 amperes. To manage the intricate throttle, Song mounted the controls directly onto a finger ring.
Pilot stability presented a persistent challenge. The hoverboard is powered by ten electric propellers and an AI-assisted monitoring system utilizing two smartphones linked to Bluetooth earbuds for real-time voice alerts.
Song Xingyu, a self-taught Gen Z vlogger from Badong in China's Hubei province who posts as Shenqi Ayu, has built a rideable hoverboard inspired by the Green Goblin's glider in Spider-Man and flown it across the Yangtze River. After his first five-turbojet prototype caught fire,… pic.twitter.com/ta2naICKj8
— https://x.com/IntEngineering/status/2112276719130308650
That sense of frustration is indescribable.
Song Xingyu, via China Daily
That frustration followed early stability stalls that left him with sprained hands, feet, and scraped knees during training.
Test Flights Across the Baren River Canyon
Following weeks of intensive balance training, Song and his team traveled to the Baren River scenic area in Badong county. According to Dai Xiaoying, a staff member at the scenic spot, the team arrived on October 6 and stayed for roughly four to five hours.
The team utilized an open lot next to the visitor center for takeoff, landing on a platform deep within the canyon. The entire flight spanned just over two minutes, covering more than 300 meters without interruption.
It is only when I’m doing these things that I feel alive. Please don’t follow my example.
Song Xingyu, via China Daily
His journey has been marked by extreme financial and physical risks. He previously accumulated 2.4 million yuan (US$360,000) in debt after being scammed before receiving 1.8 million yuan in funding from Insta360. In May 2024, a high-altitude balloon launch attempt destroyed his camp, and a later jet-powered parachute jump resulted in a main parachute failure just 600 meters above ground.
Despite online admiration on platforms like Douyin, where his videos have earned millions of likes, observers continue to voice safety concerns regarding personal aerial devices. Song has reportedly avoided commercial deals to focus on testing methods to push his hoverboard to higher altitudes.