It was back in 1989 that Marty McFly predicted the inevitable surfacing of the 21st century ‘hoverboard’. He even got the year right when he traveled to the futuristic 2015. But would anyone expect the craft to actually become a reality?

Companies such as Lexus, The Université Paris Diderot, Chic Robotics, Huvr, and more across the world have attempted to recreate the hoverboard that McFly so famously established.

The first attempt came in 2001 when inventor Dean Kamen designed the segway, and for a time this mode of transportation was extremely popular and as close to the hoverboard as anyone could get. It wasn’t until 2013 that Chic Robotics in China was able to invent the most famous of the 21st century hoverboards. Marty McFly would certainly be impressed. Finally, in 2015, the hoverboard invention of 2013 took hold, probably since it was the actual McFly-predicted year.

This past christmas, children, teenagers and young adults woke up to their childhood movie coming alive, and the hoverboard swept through the nation.

Taking to the streets, the hoverboard proved to be more of a nuisance than an advantage to modern day citizens. It quickly became a punchline as videos began to surface on the Internet of kids, dads and even grandmothers finding themselves on the ground rather than above it. The appeal remained, however, especially at colleges where students found it advantageous to hoverboard to class rather than bike.

This hot new toy has recently received a reputation of being too hot. Within the past few months there have been over 28 fires or fire-related incidents involving hoverboards. The hoverboard has recently gone up in flames because the company failed to require any safety testing. For some reason, the hoverboard company thought it would be a great idea to fly the nation into chaos.

UNCW caught wind of the flames and decided to take action. On Jan. 21, UNCW sent out a public service announcement initiating the ban of hoverboard usage on UNCW’s campus. The school advised everyone of the fire hazard and stated that the charging of the boards is no longer allowed in campus buildings.

The ban quickly became the talk of the town as students expressed their opinions on the issue.

The hoverboard has certainly been detrimental to my health this year. I have been involved in a total of three horrific ‘traffic’ accidents involving hoverboards. But having never witnessed the flames, I can’t say that I have any problem with being a part of the McFly approved future. I find the mode of transportation silly but quite entertaining to be honest. If it is considered a hall sport, then the guys living above me have certainly broken that rule – I have seen them try and fail numerous times at perfecting the art that is hoverboarding.

As I walk down chancellors at the height of traffic, I only have one reaction as I witness the hoverboards in action: ‘Great scott! I wonder when ET can make our bikes fly too.’