DIY Radio Controlled Hovercraft

While it would be great to have an actual hovercraft to ride around on streets, water, ice, or anywhere you please, for those of us living on a normal-ish budget, this Arduino RC hovercraft could be just the thing to satisfy that craving. Nearly all of this build’s body is 3D-printed, including a hull sized so that it will fit on a Creality CR-10 3D printer, and a top section that took roughly 18 hours to print.

Fan blades for the craft, which resemble what you might find cooling a PC, are also printed, and powered by brushless DC motors. One pushes the craft along, with servo-actuated rudders for steering, while the other keeps the craft aloft via a skirt constructed out of a trash bag.

This hovercraft is controlled by an Arduino Uno, which was cleverly modified with extra headers for +5V and ground, a technique that would come in handy on many projects. While it does the job, this board is a very tight fit, and it’s noted that an Arduino Nano might have been a better choice. Nonetheless, as demonstrated in the video below, it does a great job traversing a basketball court, painted in a nice camo style!

Incidentally, the controller used for human interface is also a custom job, and was featured here earlier if you’d like to check it out!