Lexus has released footage from the final tests conducted on its new and promising Hoverboard, which we first reported about in June. The video shows how it all went down at a specially constructed “hoverpark” in Barcelona, Spain, and clearly demonstrates the power of magnetic levitation technology.
If you dream of trying out the Lexus Hoverboard yourself, though, know one thing: It’s harder than you might think.
"I've spent 20 years skateboarding, but without friction it feels like I've had to learn a whole new skill, particularly in the stance and balance in order to ride the hoverboard. It's a whole new experience,” said pro skateboarder and hoverboard test rider Ross McGouran.
In the video, you can see how skateboarding enthusiasts marvel at the Lexus Hoverboard, which seems to come straight from the future. But unlike Marty McFly’s hoverboard in Back to the Future Part II, the one designed by Lexus actually works on water.
Launched 18 months ago, the Lexus Hoverboard project involves a team of scientists from IFW Dresden and evico GmbH, who specialize in magnetic levitation technology. The board features two “cryostats”— reservoirs in which superconducting material is kept at -197 degrees through immersion in liquid nitrogen — and a magnetic track lays beneath the hoverpark surface.
“The magnetic field from the track is effectively ‘frozen’ into the superconductors in the board, maintaining the distance between the board and the track — essentially keeping the board hovering,” explains evico CEO Dr. Oliver de Haas. “This force is strong enough to allow the rider to stand and even jump on the board.”
For sure, the Lexus Hoverboard is a reminder that technology has no limits and that the future has many more surprises in store.