A hover-board that really works, sort of

Hovering in general has always been a dream of mankind – something relegated to the realm of science fiction and that scene from ‘Back to the Future 2’. But the hover-board is no longer just a dream; it’s been brought to life by science.

How is this possible? The short answer is magnets.

The longer and far more complicated answer is that it’s a combination of magnets and rapidly cooled superconductors that when brought into close contact induce a current that doesn’t die away and allows levitation. This is much more effectively in the video below:

Still confused? Okay, in Laymen’s terms the superconductor and the magnet interact and that interaction repels the force of gravity and allows the board to levitate.

Sadly, it’s not going to be on sale any time soon. In order for the board to achieve levitation it requires a specially built magnetised surface, the only one that exists was built by Lexus in Madrid specifically for the video. Still, the applied science and the fact that it’s been achieved are incredibly exciting.

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