Lexus hoverboard

Lexus generated a feverish buzz online when it launched an ad campaign showing a functioning hoverboard that seems fit for Marty McFly himself.

An independent contractor designed and built the hoverboard featured in a commercial for Toyota's luxury brand, brand spokesman Moe Durand told USA TODAY.

And it works, but there's a big caveat: It only operates in a controlled environment.

Lexus said the test hoverboard in its "Amazing in Motion" campaign generates magnetic levitation by combining the effects of liquid nitrogen-cooled superconductors and permanent magnets.

In the commercial, it appears to be levitating above concrete. But that's because there are magnets underneath the surface.

The brand said it will test the hoverboard in a similarly controlled environment in Barcelona, Spain.

"It's part of an ad campaign we're filming in Spain," Durand said. "It's just a teaser."

The movie "Back to the Future 2" popularized the futuristic concept of a skateboard-like device that can hover slightly above the ground, allowing the user to glide effortlessly from place to place.

As it happens, the 1989 film depicts the hoverboard in the year 2015.


Michael J. Fox in a scene from the 1989 motion picture "Back To The Future II." (Photo: Amblin/Universal/The Kobal Colle)

It's not the first time a major corporate brand has tried to capitalize on the interest in the futuristic 2015 portrayed in "Back to the Future 2."

Nike plans to introduce shoes with power laces later this year, a nod to the kicks that tighten automatically when Michael J. Fox's character, Marty McFly, puts them on in the film.

So, power laces are possible. But a hoverboard is not. At least for now.

The Lexus footage does illustrate, however, that it's technically feasible in a certain environment, which will surely fuel more speculation about future technological developments.

"At Lexus, we constantly challenge ourselves and our partners to push the boundaries of what is possible," said Mark Templin, executive vice president of Lexus International, in a statement. "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."

Reference: http://www.usatoday.com