Ah, the hoverboard, that long-awaited benchmark for Back to the Future’s vision of the technology circa 2015 is finally here.
It’s all thanks to luxury car firm Lexus, which has worked with experts in superconductive technology to develop Marty McFly’s prefered mode of transport.
The ‘Lexus Hoverboard’ uses liquid nitrogen cooled superconductors (hence the weird mist in the video) and permanent magnets which Lexus claims can “achieve amazing frictionless movement”.
The carmaker even released a video of its new creation, seemingly hovering just off the ground at a skatepark.
Just like the $10,000 Hendo hoverboard we saw earlier this year, the Lexus offering only works on a metal track – meaning those visions of floating down the highstreet are still some way off.
Sadly, we don’t actually see anyone riding the hoverboard. So while it’s cool that the board hovers, having it move seamlessly under the weight of an actual human is an entirely different matter.
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“At Lexus,
Templin continued: “It’s the perfect example of the amazing things that can be achieved when you combine technology, design, and imagination.”
Lexus says it’s been working on the sci-fi skateboard for 18 months, and that testing will begin in Barcelona, Spain over the coming weeks until an ambiguous ‘summer 2015’ deadline.
The company also notes that the Lexus Hoverboard is currently a prototype and “will not be on sale.” Boo.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
