The University of Oregon announced this morning that it has banned all hoverboards and similar devices effective immediately. In the announcement, Krista Dillon, the university’s director of Emergency Management and Fire Prevention, said that the devices have the potential to become a fire hazard during recharging.
Dillon specified in the email that students living in residence halls who are unable to remove the devices from campus will have the option to temporarily store them in a facility sanctioned by the fire marshall. She also added that the ban does not apply to “mobility or accessibility devices that are not recreational in nature.”
The devices are currently under investigation by the federal Consumer Products Safety Commission, and if improvements are made in the future, they may be allowed back on campus.
Hoverboards have become increasingly popular over the past couple of months, with over 5,000 sold in the U.S. on Black Friday alone. Other news sources such as Wired have reported their dangers, stating that the lithium-iron batteries are typically the cause of their defects. Emerald writer Negina Pirzad joined in on the commentary on hoverboards in a late December story.