Fans in the sci-fi community were ecstatic when automaker Lexus unveiled the Slide — a working hoverboard using liquid nitrogen and magnetic levitation to keep it afloat. Unveiling the device last month, the automaker has now announced that it will introduce the contraption in all its glory, capturing the hoverboard in action as it cruises by in a presentation on Aug. 5.
The hoverboard is one of the contraptions seen on many sci-fi films, most notably the one owned by main character Marty McFly in the "Back to the Future" series of films.
On its official YouTube channel, Lexus again gave viewers a sneak peek at how the hoverboard looks like. Much like what sci-fi fans have envisioned, it is a full mag-lev device. Although magnetic levitation is already feasible, the technology involved is so complex that it can only be utilized as part of a big system, such as the technology that runs most of developed countries' train systems.
However, tech companies have been tinkering to make consumer hoverboards, and the Lexus Slide is just one of the most recent consumer conversions of mag-lev technology. There are already a number of hoverboards, such as the Hendo Hoverboard that is being developed and tested for consumer use. These hoverboards use high-powered magnets and semiconductors to provide high power for levitation while simultaneously being cooled down by liquid nitrogen.
Although the Lexus Slide may be the nearest thing that fans can expect a working hoverboard to be, some observers say that a consumer version is not feasible at the moment, and Lexus may only be presenting a working Slider in a controlled environment. Speculations say that Lexus will use the all-metal skatepark that the company built in Spain to showcase the Slider, and not to present the hoverboard as an everyday consumer product like some hope.
