[Must See] The World’s First Hover-board In Action!

The future has arrived…

No doubt a number of people have been waiting for their turn to skate effortlessly over water and sidewalks since the release of Back To The Future, Part II… And now, such opportunity might soon be afforded.

On August 5th, the automaker Lexus unveiled their sleek hoverboard and a glimpse of what’s possible with this unique invention. Footage revealed shows the hoverboard working at a purpose-built skatepark in Spain, and, so far, “awesome” is the favorite word used to describe it.

While it’s absolutely not going to be available to the public anytime soon, fans can at least check out the video above and fantasize about the future of sports.

The hoverboard wasn’t actually produced by Lexus, but a German company that specializes in maglev technology – specifically the kind used on super-fast Japanese trains, as shared by Inhabitat. 

The hoverboard is the size of a large skateboard and weighs about 20 lbs. Inside the invention are two incredibly powerful magnets that are cooled to -197 degrees Celsius (-322.6 Fahrenheit) by liquid nitrogen. 

Because of these factors, it has some limitations. The hoverboard will only levitate when following a complementary magnetic path, and it must be “recharged” every twenty minutes or so. Still, it’s freaking cool. 

To test out the board, Lexus built a skatepark on the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain. It might look like any and every other park, but it has hidden magnetic strips within it. That’s also where the video (above) was filmed.

Journalists who had the opportunity to try out the board had varying opinions. Sam sheer of the Verge stated: “While it was fun, it certainly wasn’t the hoverboarding experience depicted in Back to the Future.” 

Robb Holland of Jalopnik described it as “Unbelievably difficult yet at the same time unbelievably cool… like walking on a tightrope.”

Inspired enthusiasts will have to be satiated with the video for now. The park has been dismantled by Lexus, and the “prototype” will not be available for sale.

Don’t despair, however; there is no doubt some other company will develop a better version all might have access to in the future. Technology is developing at exponential pace, after all.

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