The Story of Flyte

Ever since the movie Back to the Future II, skateboarder turned scientist Simon Morris dreamed of a world of hoverboards. He started to learn the art of levitation and transformed his childhood fantasies into a creative profession, sparking a levitation trend around the world.

Simon is the creator of the first levitating lightbulb. Today, Flyte has grown from a small passion project into an award-winning design company who stand proudly behind a family of innovative and captivating products.

Here’s a story of how Flyte got off the ground and where it’s going next.

How it all started

Simon, born in the Bronx, New York, was always passionate about skateboarding. Often skaters are perceived as annoying elements that are in the way, so Simon always felt like a rebel, both against society and also against the law of gravity.

“As a kid, I was beguiled by levitation and how things float in the air. I guess I was just always fascinated by things that defy gravity.” This fascination of weightlessness made Simon start experimenting and exploring the world of electromagnetic levitation.

After studying Master’s at the University of Gothenburg, Simon began work on what he previously thought impossible: a hoverboard, albeit one that stood stationary. He continued experimenting and worked on custom projects, building levitation displays for various companies.The reaction of the public was encouraging — they were engrossed and taken aback by what they saw.

“Something happens when you let objects with odd shapes float in the air, you suddenly see them from new angles and get a completely new perception of their shape. It's hard to tear your eyes from it.”

Simon realized that this could be something bigger than just a hobby. He approached some potential investors, however, they were cautious and not so forthcoming. So he decided to take his ideas to people. And what's a better way to do that than crowdfunding?

Simon, born in the Bronx, New York, was always passionate about skateboarding. Often skaters are perceived as annoying elements that are in the way, so Simon always felt like a rebel, both against society and also against the law of gravity.

“As a kid, I was beguiled by levitation and how things float in the air. I guess I was just always fascinated by things that defy gravity.” This fascination of weightlessness made Simon start experimenting and exploring the world of electromagnetic levitation.

After studying Master’s at the University of Gothenburg, Simon began work on what he previously thought impossible: a hoverboard, albeit one that stood stationary. He continued experimenting and worked on custom projects, building levitation displays for various companies.The reaction of the public was encouraging — they were engrossed and taken aback by what they saw.

“Something happens when you let objects with odd shapes float in the air, you suddenly see them from new angles and get a completely new perception of their shape. It's hard to tear your eyes from it.”

Simon realized that this could be something bigger than just a hobby. He approached some potential investors, however, they were cautious and not so forthcoming. So he decided to take his ideas to people. And what's a better way to do that than crowdfunding?

Getting off the ground
with crowdfunding

In 2015, a Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund Simon's first invention - Flyte, which features a levitating light bulb floating in the air using magnetic levitation and wireless resonant inductive coupling. After the campaign's success there followed other projects, such as Lyfe (levitating planter), Story (levitating timepiece), etc.

In Flyte Light, we finally managed to unite the two geniuses, also the eternal enemies, Edison and Tesla. Edison had his lamp and Tesla his induction, but they never agreed. We changed that.

Combining the
Art & Science

Morris' passion lies in the interaction between science and art. He is interested in how we observe the world and how things work - the technicalities, the scientific methods. He likes the word combination “art scientist” - because science doesn't have to be simply practical, you can use it for expressive reasons as well.

“A lot of technical people who are very knowledgeable in the sciences seem to lack another part, which is the design part, the user-friendliness. So to get a complete picture you have to think like Leonardo da Vinci, who was an artist, but also a scientist. It's very rare to find people that can bridge both worlds, and that's what inspires me a lot. “

Simon studied Computer Sciences, as well as Art and Creative Expression. He describes Flyte as a combination of science, poetry and something that's very easy to understand. “When people look at our products, they get it right away. So I feel happy at the end of the day if I can create something that looks very simple from the outside but has a complexity inside.”

Morris likes to play with boundaries. That's where his captivation of magnetism and electromagnets started. And he realized that science and physics can also be fun. “It's interesting, in science the bar has always been raised so high that kids don't really want to do it. They feel like they have to take themselves very seriously and become white lab coats and read the books and everything. But actually it can be so entertaining, you can just start doing stuff and learn along the way. A lot of scientific experiments, inventions and innovations have come out through fun, through experiments, through failure, through mistakes. Everyone has the same capacity to create, I really agree to the idea that knowledge and learning comes by doing. And it fwhen you complete a project that other people also get excited about. It makes you want to do more.”

Morris' passion lies in the interaction between science and art. He is interested in how we observe the world and how things work - the technicalities, the scientific methods. He likes the word combination “art scientist” - because science doesn't have to be simply practical, you can use it for expressive reasons as well.

“A lot of technical people who are very knowledgeable in the sciences seem to lack another part, which is the design part, the user-friendliness. So to get a complete picture you have to think like Leonardo da Vinci, who was an artist, but also a scientist. It's very rare to find people that can bridge both worlds, and that's what inspires me a lot. “

Simon studied Computer Sciences, as well as Art and Creative Expression. He describes Flyte as a combination of science, poetry and something that's very easy to understand. “When people look at our products, they get it right away. So I feel happy at the end of the day if I can create something that looks very simple from the outside but has a complexity inside.”

Morris likes to play with boundaries. That's where his captivation of magnetism and electromagnets started. And he realized that science and physics can also be fun. “It's interesting, in science the bar has always been raised so high that kids don't really want to do it. They feel like they have to take themselves very seriously and become white lab coats and read the books and everything. But actually it can be so entertaining, you can just start doing stuff and learn along the way. A lot of scientific experiments, inventions and innovations have come out through fun, through experiments, through failure, through mistakes. Everyone has the same capacity to create, I really agree to the idea that knowledge and learning comes by doing. And it fwhen you complete a project that other people also get excited about. It makes you want to do more.”

How does
levitation work?

If you take two magnets together, they will attract or repel. But for them to actually levitate and defy gravity, you need a special configuration. It's composed not only of permanent magnets, neodymium magnets, rare Earth magnets, but also electromagnets. So it's this sort of intricate dance between pushing and pulling that creates an object that allows it to stay suspended in the air.

Today

Today Flyte has grown into an international company and behind the company's CEO Simon Morris there's a team with many members. Product design, supply chain, marketing, logistics, warehousing - creating new products from a scratch and working together from first brainstorming sessions until the moment products arrive at their new homes.

What does the
future look like?

Encouraged by Archimedeses' philosophy, Simon says that it's theoretically possible to levitate anything as long as the magnets are powerful enough. But even if Flyte gives rise to dreamy thoughts about a hovering reality, and maybe is just the beginning of what we may see in the future, Simon does not want it to just be seen as a cool thing.

“It is a charming interior element. People like to decorate their homes and I think our products bring a calming aura to wherever they're at. We have a lot of other things going on for the future as well, but I can not talk about that. It's a secret.”

Encouraged by Archimedeses' philosophy, Simon says that it's theoretically possible to levitate anything as long as the magnets are powerful enough.

If Flyte gives rise to dreamy thoughts about a hovering reality, and maybe is just the beginning of what we may see in the future, Simon does not want it to just be seen as a cool thing.

“It is a charming interior element. People like to decorate their homes and I think our products bring a calming aura to wherever they're at. We have a lot of other things going on for the future as well, but I can not talk about that. It's a secret.”

Ongoing projects

At the moment Flyte's developing their sixth Kickstarter project that's a bit different from the previous ones: Py - the world's largest levitating sculpture that's going to be approximately 4 meters high and will be showcased in a gallery and online.

There's also Py mini replica that will continue the levitating product line.

Follow us to see
how the future unfolds

You're welcome to follow Flyte's social media platforms - on Instagram and Facebook, you'll find news, a daily dose of inspiration, and feedback from the customers. The newsletter subscribers receive less frequent emails, which contain updates on new products and special offers. And on Linkedin, you'll find more business-specific content.

Support the original creator

Flyte is the original creator of the world’s first levitating light bulb. Our products hold a design patent and are marked with Flyte® Trademark. 

Quality and warranty 

All Flyte products go through extensive quality control and come with a warranty that we respect. 

Customer service

There's an actual human being behind our customer support, so you can get fast and professional assistance.

Green thinking

We also offer refurbished products for lower prices and plant 1 tree for every sale.