Watch Lexus’ Hoverboard in Full-On Action!

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I’m seriously in awe right now. Lexus has released a series of new videos for their hoverboard SLIDE, which they’ve been promoting for the last few weeks. It uses magnetic levitation and nitrogen-cooled superconductors to float above the ground, and it’s incredible. 

The first video features some test riders playing around and pulling off a few tricks on the board on a specially built skate park. This is the video we’ve all been waiting to see because it shows the overboard in full-on action. The second gives us a rundown of the story behind the creation of the board, and the third shows some of the ups and downs of the testing process that went on to get the board where it’s at today.

Here are the details:

Creating SLIDE required re-engineering core technologies and uncovering true technical innovations. From assembling maglev technology into a board, to finding the right combination of superconductors, magnets and liquid nitrogen – every step pushed the team to stretch the possibilities of technology.

The hoverboard is constructed from an insulated core, containing HTSLs (high temperature superconducting blocks). These are housed in cryostats – reservoirs of liquid nitrogen that cool the superconductors to -197°C. The board is then placed above a track containing permanent magnets. When the board is cooled to its operating temperature the track’s magnetic flux lines are ‘pinned’ into place, maintaining the hover height of the board.

All-in-all, I’m incredibly impressed, and the future of Back to the Future has actually caught up to us. It’s freakin’ exciting! I know some people aren't going to be impressed with the magnets being used in the skate park, but who's to say that the roads in Back to the Future didn't have permanent magnets in them as well? Regardless of how the technology works, this is a real hoverboard, and it's the closest thing we've seen to what Back to the Future Part II introduced. 

We've made the impossible, possible: The Lexus Hoverboard is here. See the world's first hoverpark in action, as Lexus demonstrates the desire to create enjoyment out of motion. The Lexus Hoverboard represents true innovation and imagination, together pushing the boundaries of technology even further.

The wait is over. As our legendary Takumi craftsmen say "the difficult takes time; the impossible just takes a little longer". The Lexus Hoverboard represents true innovation and imagination, together pushing the boundaries of technology even further.

Watch the very first jumps and bends as the Lexus Hoverboard underwent testing in a Dresden facility, with the team determined to push the board to its limits. The Lexus Hoverboard represents true innovation and imagination, together pushing the boundaries of technology even further.