The Future Is Here Lexus Unveils New Hoverboard Technology

Do you remember when Marty McFly was running from Biff Tannen to avoid a beating in the movie Back to the Future? Marty grabbed a little girls hover scooter, ripped off the handle bars and started riding a hovering skateboard a.k.a “a Hoverboard. Racing all around the town square dodging his enemies.

Do you remember watching that movie and thinking to yourself “wow that would be amazing to have my own hoverboard?” I know I was only 14 years old when that movie came out. As a young teenage boy this movie made me want a hoverboard and it was definitely on my birthday and Christmas lists that year.

Unfortunately I never did get a Hoverboard that year mainly due to a lack of technology and innovation for the time. Fast forward 30 years and now that same dream has finally come to fruition. An actual working model of a hoverboard. The automotive manufacturer Lexus has come up with a magnetic levitation system for a hover board.

Even though this is still a prototype it is a working prototype which is moving us closer to the real technology that will eventually become mainstream (I hope). The fact that this prototype works is amazing. Using nitrogen cooled semi-conductors to create magnetic levitation technology.

Wired magazine tells us that this hoverboard is still a highly constrained and not quite original. However this hoverboard comes with a bonus. Lexus has put together a mini-doc (documentary) that sheds light on the process and provides a refreshingly clear-eyed look at the science and physics behind the project.

Here's another great video on quantum levitation

Can you think of other uses for magnetic levitation? Japan has the Mag-Lev train.

Ah are you still a little sceptical? Sure there have been frauds like HOVr

and the Hendo Hoverboard .

SLIDE is just one of many short films by Lexus International such as their STROBE film and many other movie shorts.

Here are some other reviews about the new hoverboard from Lexus from some other prestigious publishers.

• Bloomberg Business.
• The Telegraph
• Snopes.com quotes Neil deGrassi as stating that hoverboard technology for the mainstream user is highly unlikely.
• Cnet says that the hoverboard is not coming to a skate park near you.

We would love to have your input on this. Do you think hoverboard technology should go mainstream? Would you ever ride/own one if it does become publicly available? Please leave your comments below.