We’ve just been sent the latest offering from Lexus regarding their ‘Slide’ hoverboard: the second tooth-grinding teaser video featuring pro skater Ross McGouran. Check it out here:
The film franchise Back to the Future gave us many things: an irrational love for raised Toyota Hilux utes, hysteria over ‘the Lybians’, and, of course, the bright-pink hoverboard that Marty McFly steals from a little girl, before ripping its handles off with his bare hands — a character building day for her, I am sure.
While our 2015 still seems worlds away from the crazy future envisioned in Back to the Future, the hoverboard may not be — not if Lexus and their borderline unbelievable ‘Project Slide’ concept have anything to say about it.
The ‘Slide’ utilizes magnetic levitation to provide lift, achieving what Lexus themselves label “frictionless movement”.
“At Lexus, we constantly challenge ourselves and our partners to push the boundaries of what is possible … That determination, combined with our passion and expertise for design and innovation, is what led us to take on the hoverboard project. It’s the perfect example of the amazing things that can be achieved when you combine technology, design, and imagination,” said Lexus International executive vice president Mark Templin.
Not only is the notion of a hoverboard super cool, but it’s also a form of technology that may prove relevant to us in the automotive scene. The Jetsons, The Fifth Element, and many other shows and films have depicted a future where the general populous drive hovercars. If Lexus can come to the party with a functional hoverboard, could we be looking at the next direction of motoring?
Regardless, hats off to Lexus. We’ll take five for the office please …