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Lexus Builds a Functional Hoverboard Prototype
- santoriv 11y agoThat was a nice marketing video. However they didn't show it actually working aside from it just staying in one place without falling over.
- ansible 11y agoYeah, I was laughing at that. The dude starts to step on the board, and then the video cuts out. I guess we don't get to see him fall off almost immediately. What was the point of all this again?
- wmeredith 11y agoIt's a teaser. Seeing what happens after he steps on the board is what they're explicitly trying to generate interest around.
- etrautmann 11y agocouldn't disagree more. You see it dip just enough to seem like it won't work, and then the video cuts out. I was left thinking the entire thing was laughably ineffective, even under the constraints of magnets in the ground and liquid nitrogen cooling.
- oldmanjay 11y agoVery few marketing efforts target the tirelessly cynical as a matter of principle.
- fit2rule 11y agoIsn't it going to need special pavement to function? Unless they've found a way to magnetize asphalt or something ..
- brixon 11y agoIt magnetized the air. [Mind Blown]
- geon 11y agoSuperconductive magnetic locking is nothing new. Even the "hover board" has been done before. The whole concept is so stupid it hurts. The superconductors in the board needs to be extremely cold, and the ground needs to be covered in magnets. Or vice versa. The liquid nitrogen needed for this is cumbersome and will evaporate quickly. As seen the last time someone tried making a hover board it is impossible to stand on it. It will slide with equal non- friction in every direction making it impossible to keep the balance. The only alternative is to keep it locked to a track, like a toy train.
- relet 11y agoIt is perfectly possible to stand on it if it is powered. The same you can stand on a Segway: As long as it moves itself under your center of gravity when tilting. That would then also be the steering.
- bsaunder 11y agoThe problem is, there's no friction (as the article states) for the board. What would the board push against to adjust itself? In the Segway, the wheels touch the ground and provide something for the motors to act against. This is more like an astronaut in space (if I'm understanding the situation correctly). I like the idea (my kids would love it). It certainly has marketing value and calls up dreams of an amazing future, but there do seem to be some real practical problems (as the parent alludes to). Stopping seems particularly exciting.
- cafeoh 11y agoNow, I have close to no knowledge in super conductivity and how those puck manage to somehow stick to the rails centimeters away from the surface, but could we create some sort of directional friction? Sort of like a snowboard would work, so you could at least rely on one axis to balance yourself properly? From what I gather, the board would apply a single linear resistance (vertical) aswell as resistance from every rotation axis. So theoretically, we enough skill, you could balance yourself on the board purely by using rotational resistance, even without the directional friction I just mentioned. You couldn't jerk your legs forward and backward, but you could push on the ball of your feet to shift backward, and push on your right foot to shift to your left. Am I making sense?
- avian 11y ago> The board uses liquid nitrogen-cooled superconductors and magnets This sounds like it uses the Meissner effect. If so, it will only work on special surfaces. Compare with Hendo, which was also way over hyped and only mentioned this little detail in the fine print. Theirs works on a slightly different principle though.
- DonHopkins 11y agoInsane Clown Posse is going to have a hard time explaining how this works.
- Rainymood 11y agoSo... it doesn't work yet. What a giant cocktease video, geez ...
- kriro 11y agoDoc: Roads? Where we are going we do need magnetized roads.
- imaginenore 11y agoMeh. It's been done before. It only works above magnetic surfaces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSheVhmcYLA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSheVhmcYLA
- savrajsingh 11y agoNeat! The video implies it could work on non-special surfaces (like concrete). Is that possible?
- cafeoh 11y agoUpdate: We got in touch with Lexus, and confirmed that like the other examples we've seen, there is a metal surface underneath the skate park shown here -- it's real, but you won't be riding this thing just anywhere source : http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/23/lexus-slide-hoverboard-magnets-teaser/ http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/23/lexus-slide-hoverboard-ma...
- samstave 11y agoCan you ask them how much weight it will support?
- rokhayakebe 11y agoIt’s very confidential information but we have been studying the flying car in our most advanced R&D area
- mrfusion 11y agoI'd like to see this phenominom attempted for a hoverboard [1]. It seems like it might work. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3274335 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3274335
- orblivion 11y agoNot even a nod to Hendo, who already had Tony Hawk try out their board.
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- LastZactionHero 11y agoAs a guy who wore out the Back to the Future II vhs growing up, the negativity is a little frustrating. Technical limitations? Gasp! Not practical? Such hacks! Even the movie board didn't work on water. It's a marketing stunt. But it's also an homage to something inspirational.
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