Just over a month ago Lexus released the teaser for a hoverboard, now the final product has been unveiled. Lexus has proved that they have in fact achieved the impossible and what was once a dream inspired by the Back to the Future franchise is now a reality.
The SLIDE hoverboard works using high temperature superconducting blocks in cryostats (tanks of liquid nitrogen that cool the superconductors to -197°C). The board was placed over a track of permanent magnets, then the design team was able to make it hover by cooling it to its operating temperature as the track’s magnetic flux lines were ‘pinned’ into place.
For those of us less in tune with the science of it, aesthetically it looks great. Elements were taken from combining the traditional skateboard shape with Lexus design principles. It is made using a bamboo top and a lightweight casing with a carbon fiber finish.
Check out the Lexus SLIDE hoverboard in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awAzM9kTvC0
