Slide (hoverboard)

The Slide (stylized SLIDE) is a hoverboard developed by Lexus.[1] The board has 32 yttrium-barium-copper oxide superconductors cooled by liquid nitrogen and rides on a magnetic track. Lexus built a skate park in Barcelona, Spain specifically for the SLIDE. The SLIDE was built for the scientific achievement, not for public sale.[1][2]

Conception

The overall project for the SLIDE hoverboard took Lexus about 57 weeks from start to finish.[3][4] The SLIDE was teased in June and officially revealed August 5, 2015.[5][6] Lexus partnered with outside technology experts to aid in the creation of the SLIDE; Dietmar Berger, a magnetic levitation engineer, and Ludwig Schultz, a pioneer of superconducting levitation, were the main experts responsible for the hovering of the SLIDE hoverboard.[7][8] Professional skateboarder Ross McGouran was the main rider of the SLIDE for prototype testing and also promotional riding as well.[3]

Technology

The main focus of the SLIDE is the levitation of the hoverboard, achieved through the use of superconductors inside the board. Superconductors are conductors that have no internal resistance as long as they are kept below a certain temperature.[9] When a metal has no internal resistance, a current running through the metal will run forever without a power source. When a superconductor is subjected to a magnetic field, the superconductor aligns itself with the magnetic field and floats on top of it.[10] Superconductors only have zero internal resistance when cooled to a certain temperature. In order to achieve this the SLIDE uses liquid nitrogen to cool it down to −197 °C (76.1 K; −322.6 °F).[8][11][12] Even though liquid nitrogen cools down the superconductors of the SLIDE, it also boils at −197 °C (76.1 K; −322.6 °F).[11] This makes it difficult to have a constant supply of liquid nitrogen to continually cool down the superconductors; the SLIDE can operate for an average time of only about 20 minutes on maximum liquid nitrogen onboard capacity.[13]

Track

The track built by Lexus for the SLIDE project is in Cubelles, Barcelona, Spain.[14] The entire skate park has magnetic tracks concealed beneath a thin layer of wood. The magnetic track pulls the SLIDE along the path.[3] All the uphill and downhill slopes of the track were specifically designed to ensure the magnetic field has enough momentum to pull the SLIDE.[3]

Components

The SLIDE board itself is made of natural bamboo and carbon fibre support structures. Its superconductors are composed of yttrium, barium, copper, and oxygen.[12]

References
  1. http://www.cnet.com/news/the-lexus-hoverboard-is-real-video/
  2. "Lexus let skateboarders put its hoverboard to the test". Engadget. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  3. http://blog.stephengates.com/2015/08/05/a-look-behind-the-scene-of-the-lexus-slide-hoverboard/
  4. http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/134818-lexus-slide-hoverboard-new-videos-show-how-it-was-made-and-really-works
  5. "Lexus Built a Hoverboard, And No, You Can't Buy It". The Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  6. "Are you ready for the future? Lexus to unveil its Slide hoverboard August 5". Digital Trends. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  7. http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/lexus-takes-wraps-its-mysterious-slide-hoverboard-n404201
  8. http://www.geek.com/news/lexus-slide-hoverboard-really-works-1630189/
  9. http://www.superconductors.org/INdex.htm
  10. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/meis.html
  11. http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/a/liquidnitrogen.htm
  12. https://www.theverge.com/2015/8/4/9091951/lexus-hoverboard-video
  13. https://www.wired.com/2015/06/lexus-hoverboard-slide/
  14. https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2015/6/25/8846785/lexus-hoverboard-skatepark-its-real-not-a-drill
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