https://youtu.be/7zTCgMPZRuo
To be honest with you when we heard about this Lexus Hoverboard we thought its some kind of elaborate gag by Lexus celebrating a hitherto unknown day in Japanese culture that is similar to our April Fools day.
Then we watched the video and we were expecting it to be a bit like those street magicians you see on TV who can mysteriously levitate. Note, they only perform on TV so you can bet a slight of hand is going on. Anyway.
So we still didn’t believe it when we saw the video and to be honest we still don’t. The only technology that is able to levitate is magnetic levitation but that needs an electrical grid or supercooled magnets to work and if my layman’s science is correct a specially adaptive surface.
Linear induction motors aren’t new, they were first invented in around 1907. The UK had the one and only Maglev train operating a 600 meter shuttle service at the Birmingham International Airport in 1995. It was in operation for 11 years.
Japan operates two independently developed MagLev trains and so we believe this is where Lexus has sought its knowledge base from.
We’re fascinated to know if this Lexus Hoverboard really is the real deal or just some kind of marketing wizardry.