Following countless teasers, Lexus has finally released a video showing their hoverboard being tested in a specially designed skate park in Barcelona, Spain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awAzM9kTvC0
Mark Templin, Executive Vice President at Lexus International, admits that the whole process of creating the hoverboard wasn’t easy, “Embarking on this project, we set out to push the boundaries of technology, design and innovation to make the impossible possible. With this project we call ‘SLIDE’, we collaborated with partners who share our passion for creating enjoyment out of motion. Even through combining our technology and expertise, we discovered making a hoverboard isn’t an easy process. We’ve experienced the highs and lows and have overcome a few challenges, but through mutual determination we have created a demonstration of our philosophy in design and technology to create Amazing in Motion.”
The Lexus Hoverboard project began 18 months ago through a collaboration with a team of German scientists from IFW Dresden and evico GmbH, who specialize in magnetic levitation technology.
The Lexus Hoverboard technology features two “cryostats”—reservoirs in which superconducting material is kept at -197 degrees through immersion in liquid nitrogen. The board is then placed above a track that contains permanent magnets. Dr. Oliver de Haas, 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. This force is strong enough to allow the rider to stand and even jump on the board.”
Following extensive testing with pro skateboarder and hoverboard test rider Ross McGouran, in Dresden, Germany, further testing has been carried out in a specially constructed hoverpark, combining elements from skate culture with technology within its architecture. Up to 200 meters of magnetic track was transported to Barcelona from the Dresden facility to lay beneath the hoverpark surface in order to create the dynamic test, offering Lexus the opportunity to demonstrate tricks no skateboard could ever perform, like travelling across water.
You can also watch the story behind how Lexus Hoverboard is made below, just so you know, it has nothing to do with marketing or magic trick, it’s simply science…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5DRdZg1WaQ
