homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Is Lexus really offering a real, working hoverboard? Shut up and take my money

Lexus, better known for its luxury cars, just released a teasing video unveiling what looks like a genuine hoverboard. But is it the real deal or some lame marketing stunt? I feel like the latter, while a possibility, would severely backfire for Lexus, a highly respectable brand. On the other hand, I guess the kid in me is just rooting for this whole thing to be real.

Tibi Puiu
June 24, 2015 @ 11:33 am

share Share

lexus hoverboard

Lexus, better known for its luxury cars, just released a teasing video unveiling what looks like a genuine hoverboard. But is it the real deal or some lame marketing stunt? I feel like the latter, while a possibility, would severely backfire for Lexus, a highly respectable brand. On the other hand, I guess the kid in me is just rooting for this whole thing to be real.

lexus hoverboard

Image: Lexus

Details are scarce at this point, but from what I could gather from the Lexus website and this promo video the hoverboard works on  liquid nitrogen-cooled superconductors and magnets. In other words, this is a hoverboard that works on quantum levitation; the kind of super-cooled objects you might have seen suspended in mid-air in those cool youtube videos. Quantum levitation is actually a demonstration of the Meissner effect, which describes the expulsion of a magnetic field from a superconductor during its transition to the superconducting state. Last year, a Japanese railway company set a new world speed record using a magnetic-levitation train. Previously, Toyota (Lexus’ parent company) hinted it’s experimenting with “flying cars.”

To quote  Haruhiko Tanahashi, the chief Lexus engineer for this project, “there is no such things as impossible.” This really looks like the real deal!

hoverboard

Image: Lexus

According to Gizmodo, “the hoverboard has been in development for over 18 months by teams in both Germany and London, and it’s currently being tested by a professional skateboarder in Barcelona, although riding it is supposedly an entirely different experience.”

share Share

16,000-Year-Old Dog-Like Skeleton Found in France Raises Haunting Questions

Cared for like a companion, or killed like prey?

Japanese Scientists Just Summoned Lightning with a Drone. Here’s Why

The drone is essentially a mobile, customizable, lightning rod.

Tiny Chinese Satellite Sent Hack-Proof Quantum Messages 12,900 Kilometers Through Space. Is a Quantum Internet Around the Corner?

The US and Europe are now racing to catch up to China.

Cats Came Bearing Gods: Religion and Trade Shaped the Rise of the Domestic Cat in Europe

Two groundbreaking studies challenge the old narrative that cats followed early farmers into Europe.

The People of Carthage Weren’t Who We Thought They Were

The Punic people had almost no genetic ties to Phoenicians, even though the latter founded the great city of Carthage.

RFK Jr loves raw milk. Now, he's suspending milk quality tests due to Trump cuts

Imagine pouring a glass of milk for your child and wondering if it’s safe.

A Roman gladiator died fighting a lion in England and his 1,800-year-old skeleton proves it

It's the first-ever evidence of man-lion combat found in the Roman period.

This Surprising Protein Shift Could Add Years to Your Life, Study Finds

A global study ties plant protein to longer adult lives, but early life needs differ.

Scientists Create a 'Power Bar' for Bees to Replace Pollen and Keep Colonies Alive Without Flowers

Researchers unveil a man-made “Power Bar” that could replace pollen for stressed honey bee colonies.

First-Ever Footage Captures a Living Colossal Squid—And It’s Just a Baby

A century after its discovery, the elusive giant finally reveals itself on camera.