Lexus Hoverboard, a La ‘Back to the Future,’ Gets a Test Run

But none of the technology may be as cool as the new Lexus hoverboard. Dr. Oliver de Hass, evico CEO, said: “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. It’s a whole new experience”, said Ross McGouran.

Lexus tested the Hoverboard at a specially constructed “hoverpark” near Barcelona. These are housed in cryostats – reservoirs of liquid nitrogen that cool the superconductors to -197 degrees Celcius. “This drive is robust sufficient to permit the rider to face and even bounce on the board”.

According to Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, TOYOTA Motor Corporation, “The Lexus Hoverboard represents a significant technological and creative breakthrough, opening the door to a future with unlimited possibilities”.

The Lexus project took 18 months to complete and the company wouldn’t even guess at how much it cost, reports Bloomberg.

Lexus worked with a team of scientists from IFW Dresden and evico GmbH who specialise in magnetic levitation technology. But hey! We wanted a hoverboard by 2015, and we got a hoverboard by 2015.

The Lexus Hoverboard also known as “SLIDE” was initially unveiled in June. “The skill requirement is very high – and note, they don’t actually show anyone turning, which is problematic”.

As it turns out, riding a hoverboard requires practice. While clearly using levitating modes of transportations is still not the norm, it seems like new developments in technology has made a big leap into making hoverboards. While it may not been an exact replica of the hoverboard featured in back to the future, it is most certainly a step in the right direction. If it pushes pixels or improves lives, he wants to learn all he can about it.