Anyone who saw the 1989 sequel to Back to the Future where Marty McFly journeys to October 21, 2015 and rides a floating skateboard has dreamed of someday riding a hoverboard. Well guess what day it is?
After several teasers, Lexus has revealed a complete look at its SLIDE hoverboard, which is by far the closest to the Back to the Future board the world has ever seen. Sacrificing nothing in style and design, this board just looks like the future, and it has white vapor coming out to prove it.
The only thing is, this hoverboard requires a specially built skate park that’s mega expensive even by futuristic standards. Using superconductors, magnets and liquid nitrogen the board hovers about an inch over land or water. It’s the liquid nitrogen that gives off that futuristic vapor.
Despite past attempts to create a hoverboard ala Marty McFly, the wheels of invention have flown off the handle a few times. In 1997, William Beaty had the idea to make a skateboard float using backward vacuums and published his designs on-line. The Airboard, available today for $14,000, works sort of this way, but it’s no way near as cool as McFly’s hoverboard.
Google X researcher and avid skatebaorder Rich DeVaul attempted to build a hovercraft using magnetic levitation, but found it wasn’t so easy.
Last year, the California company ArxPax created the Hendo Hoverboard using similar technology through a kickstarter campaign at $10,000. Those boards are still in production.
The board recently unveiled by Lexus takes some getting used to in order to ride it.
“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 McGouran in a press statement.
With the recent unveil, the car company also released a video showing how it works, putting to rest any doubt that the future has indeed arrived.
