Lexus’ awesome Hoverboard goes on permanent display in the US

0 3

By Matthew Griffin Future Transport 22nd February 2020

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

Many of the things we thought of as sci-fi are now sci-fact, but some are more ready for commercialisation than others.

Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog.

Back in 2015, Lexus, who in another world first recently got an AI to write the script for their latest car advert, unveiled a stunning hoverboard prototype and needless to say the mysterious project titled SLIDE had sci-fi fans and Back to the Future fans drooling into their morning coffee, and when you have a look at the video below it’s no wonder why.

In the original video Pro skateboarder Ross McGouran attempted to boardslide the hoverboard and drop into skate bowls in a custom built skatepark using nothing more than the magic of magnetic levitation, and the mist you can see emanating from the side of the board is actually from the liquid nitrogen used to cool the superconductors and magnets inside it that help it levitate, and just one of the many reasons that prevented the hoverboard from being commercialised.

See the awesome Hoverboard in action

Now though, five years on from the hoverboards original debut Lexus have decided to put it on permanent display and teamed up with Crealev and Frozen Fish Design, who created the board, to find a way to hide the magnets and bring the magic of magnetic levitation, and hoverboards, to the general public.

The gallery was not found!

The new display, coming to a museum near you soonCourtesy: Lexus and Crealev

So, while you still won’t be able to buy one anytime soon, now at least you can stare at it longingly. However, that said, as we make strides in developing new superconductors, including ones that work at room temperature and don’t need to be super-cooled to work, and mega magnets, and apply the magic of magnetic levitation to new Mach 1 and Mach 3 Hyperloop trains it might not be as long as you think before you can skate around on one…

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Matthew Griffin, multi-award winning Futurist and named Futurist of the Year 2024, has been described as a "Walking encyclopaedia of the future" by NASA and a futurist polymath. One of the world's most renowned futurists and strategic foresight experts Matthew is the 15 times author of the blockbuster "Codex of the Future" series, and is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working across the next 50 years, XPotential University, the world's first free futures and foresight university, and the World Futures Forum which works with the United Nations to solve the worlds greatest challenges. Matthew is an in demand international keynote, acclaimed university lecturer and mentor, and host of the hit Fanatical Futurist podcast.

A rare talent in his past Matthew helped build and run several multi-billion dollar business units for Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, and his ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77+ governments, and many of the world's most respected brands including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Disney, Dow, EY, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, and many others. He was also the only futurist invited to talk at the UN COP28 held in Dubai alongside world leaders.

Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.