TLDR: high powered magnets and some posts in bearings to keep the two platforms aligned and provide friction for turning. There have been at least two real-ish hoverboards already, the Hendo version from 2014, and the Lexus version in 2021, three if you count an independent French version from 2011 that Lexus basically made look fancy. That’s probably s far as the technolgy is going to go because of, you know, the laws of physics. That hasn’t stopped Colin Furze from trying to replicate the feeling for mere mortals, or those who don’t have a car company or university to fund them. Well… closer to mere mortal wallet capacity but still expensive I’m sure. Bonus: Colin is not just some kook, he actually skates. – Thanks to old timey friend of the site and contributor to the original 80’s print zine Karl Kingery for the tip!

It’s basically a desk toy, the new millennial equivalent of a Newton Cradle. I saw Neolev hover boards a couple years ago during their first Kickstarter campaign, but I skipped the posting about them because at the time the board part of the toy was just a rectangle that didn’t look anything like a skateboard. Neolev has a new Back to the Future licensing agreement and another Kickstarter. Now your desk toy can look like Marty McFly’s hoverboard, or any one of hoverboards used by Biff’s gang. The boards look cool, and the hovering works, but you’ll need a track to make it work, just like the Lexus version of an actual ridable hoverboard. (Liquid nitrogen is optional.) Neolev’s expensive toys are cool, but the novelty is going to wear out quickly. Back and forth. Back and forth. I’m surprised Tech-Deck hasn’t just licensed the designs as fingerboards.

Well it’s here. The hoverboard park of the future, as well as details about the board and the park. It’s both amazing and quite a letdown at the same time. What you can do with this Lexus built hoverboard is pretty amazing. In some ways it’s the promise of Back to the Future delivered… with one huge exception: You are limited to riding on a predefined track. In spite of all the talk of innovation and and achieving the impossible, it’s basically a maglev train that you push with your foot, with a few oversized Hot Wheels style jumps thrown in. Is it anything new? Not really. Is it freaking cool? Yes. Lexus spent over a year and who knows how much money developing this concept. Is it better than the Hendo hoverboard? That’s a tough call. The Lexus version is more fully realized, from a demonstration point of view, and the nature of the fixed track means you aren’t going to slide out constantly like a snowboard on ice with no rails. In that respect, the Lexus version is more like a skateboard, however the Hendo’s ability to pick an infinite number of paths (as long as it’s on…

I think someone in marketing forgot to tell the decision maker at Lexus that the “real” hoverboard viral marketing campaign has already been done. It’s barely been a year, and since that time an actual working hoverboard (of sorts) has been created. So it’s extremely unlikely that Lexus has made such an amazing leap in technology. Sure they could make a prettier version of the Hendo, but you’d still have to ride it on a special surface. I’m sure it won’t cost much to retrofit an average skatepark for maglev technology. If you’re buying into it, they’re going to release more details on Oct. 21, 2015, which is the date Marty McFly went “Back to the Future.” I guess they couldn’t wait till the next April Fools day. It looks like the old Tony Hawk Ride game controller from Activision. (Yes, I’ll eat my hat if I’m wrong, but I’ll be excited about it.) UPDATE: it looks like they’re building a special skatepark for this board. Pics and link after the jump. – Thanks to Josef for the tip. [Source: Bloomberg] – Thanks to Steve Spurlock for the tip.

At some point after I bought this Ben 10 action figure, opened it and left is sitting around the house, my kids decided the board needed to be colored in with a green marker. Fair enough I guess. I don’t think this show is on anymore, not even in reruns currently. Ben’s skateboard is actually a hoverboard. In the series, he rides it around occasionally, but in the tradition of making surfboard and hoverboard action toys, wheels have been added.

Hoverboards are real, or at least more real now. We’ve seen hoaxes, models, and experiments, but this latest incarnation of the dream of the future is the closest thing to a Back to the Future reality. Before you get too excited, it costs $10,000 (!) and it requires a special surface to ride on in order for the magnetic field to keep the board floating 1 inch off the ground. That, and lots of extra batteries, because where the technology stands today, the ride only lasts a few minutes. That 10K price tag is ridiculous, but they aren’t really marketing it as a consumer product. They just want to generate money and interest to further develop the technology, and not just specifically for hoverboarding. Hovering stuff? That’s cool, but everybody recognizes the hoverboard as the modern equivalent of the Jetsons flying car, in terms of where is my ____ of the future? It was an inspired decision to build a miniramp, however slight the transition. [Source: Sploid – New York Times] – Thanks to Jack H. for the tip.

I can’t believe the amount of people who still think the Huvrtech hoverboard is real, despite the obvious clues. I’m still getting emails asking about it! It’s fake people, what more evidence do you need? If you absolutely need to buy a hoverboard, head on over to GoldenArmoor.com, where they sell kits to make your own replica of the Mattel version, as well as every other one used by Griff’s hoverboard gang, including the Pit Bull, Rising Sun, No Tech, and Odd Man Out. Notice how the parts look identical to the ones found on the HuvrTech model? Click through to look at more pics and video, including Mattel’s collectable overboard release.

HuvrTech is some sort of viral marketing campaign in it’s early stages that has yet to reveal it’s true purpose. From the subject matter and Tony Hawk’s involvement, you could make an educated guess that it might have something to do with the Tony Hawk Foundation. Then again, it might be just for laughs. The gist of it is that hover boards are finally a reality. The web site mimics the feel of a tech startup, and shows a fake iPhone app as well as multiple product color choices. They somehow managed to wrangle Chrisopher Lloyd into appearing. He drives up in a Delorean and his byline says he’s from Back to the Future 2. I’m not sure if that was supposed to be intentionally funny or not. Other celebrity appearances include Moby, former NFL player Terrell Owens, and a befuddled looking Billy Zane. The production value is pretty cheap, and they don’t quite pull it off. Everyone floats a couple feet off the ground instead of at normal truck height, and there’s a lot of swaying around. The stunt rider’s foot doesn’t quite touch the ground on the one shot that shows any pushing. The main “production model” is…

This kickass screen printed poster was designed by Clark Orr, printed by Mama’s Sauce. It’s available online at Gallery 1988. Very nice.

Future Envy, by Nathan W. Pyle, available on Threadless.