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The Physics of Lexus's Hoverboard
benonemusic writes: Lexus' hoverboard may never become commercially available, but is it scientifically feasible? You'd need to place a superconducting material in a magnetic field powerful enough to support the board and the rider. Steve Gourlay of Lawrence Berkeley Lab's Superconductor Magnet Group provides insights, including the possibility that Lexus put some very strong rare-earth magnets underneath the sidewalk in the video.
Fun for all ages!
Caution: Do not open. May freeze fingers off.
Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning? I think it's pretty neat, and even better it's not costing me a thing. Personally I'd enjoy watching hoverboard races even if they're confined to specialised parks, or even better some kind of hoverboard/gladiators crossover, or football, or whatever. Let's strap these things to boots and take basketball and hockey to the next level.
It doesn't matter what first form new technology comes in as long as it comes it can later be applied to anything anyone can imagine for it.
Magnetic levitation is certainly feasible, but it is almost certainly economically impractical.
For example, Ken Pence at Vanderbilt University has built a prototype magnetic levitation platform that uses spinning NdFeB magnets. I've seen it in action. It requires an aluminum sheet underneath the platform, and uses about 20 kW of power to lift a maximum of 300 pounds. Prof. Pence's ultimate goal is to make it steerable and have a demo with students driving it around a room.
However, Prof. Pence will cheerfully admit that the technology is far from practical for consumer use. You'd need to install aluminum sheeting under every roadway, and the power requirements for the amount of load being lifted are excessive. 20 kW is enough to push an electric car down the road at 60 mph. He will jokingly admit that his magnetic platform would only do 60 mph if you drove it off a cliff.
So why build it? His students constructed it as part of a Management of Technology course, where they learn firsthand the practical limitations of building a "gee whiz" device. I've seen some pretty interesting gadgets come out of that class (e.g. a wireless power transmitter), but as his students figure out, just because something is possible doesn't make it the least bit practical.
Also its pretty clear that its using some kind of super conducting magnet... that's what the wispy dry ice smoke probably is... it could be liquid nitrogen or whatever.
Why are you speculating about publicly-announced details? Just because you want to complain?
No no... lets sell it to punk kids so they can do something they can already do with regular skateboards but in a more expensive and pretensions way.
When you use autocomplete, you should check to make sure that it gave you the word you wanted before hitting submit. Otherwise you just look like an ignorant dildo who's C&Ping other people's arguments... badly
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Call me when they have a thrust and power system that is unlike anything before. A hoverboard requiring a track and super conductors is about as innovative as someone re-inventing the wheel. If it can't go anywhere but its track, it's a pointless gimmick.
Oh come on people, there's no story here. Notice how the video ended just as whoever it was put a foot on the 'hoverboard'? It's obvious that while there may be magnets involved, it wasn't for-real and as soon as any weight was put on it, it was on the ground and not going anywhere. Old trick, nothing to see here, move along, people..
At best this 'story' is just a shameless shill for Lexus, even more reason to ignore it.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Flying carpets were perfected by Arab magicians centuries ago.
http://www.moillusions.com/fly...
It was for marketing purposes and they never said it was anything commercially viable. They were also clear that it has to be used over a metal surface. You should get over yourself.
Why... the dream is a lie.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
You've been on the internet too long to be this stupid. Presuming superiority for finding a typo is idiotic.
Actually, I was pointing out that while you were ranting, you failed to avoid looking like a tool. But I forgot who you were, and how pointless it was to explain these things. Carry on.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Points in case:
- Obviously supercooled.
- We do not get to see how much it dips with passenger. Hence it very likely only carries its own weight, which may be almost nothing.
This thing is no hover-board, it just looks like one. Levitating superconductors are nothing new. The only thing cool or noteworthy is the clever misdirection by Lexus.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Agreed, if this was practical there are much better applications than a hoverboard.
... including the possibility that Lexus put some very strong rare-earth magnets underneath the sidewalk in the video.
I don't see why we couldn't just do that everywhere. It won't cost more than a trillion dollars, and it would pretty much solve all the problems we constantly have with sidewalks lacking strong magnetic fields.
I mean, it would create some new problems for non-hovering skateboards, bikes, carts, segways, other wheeled vehicles, people in wheelchairs, people with piercings or surgical plates, people who wear steel-toed boots, people carrying hard drives, clumsy people who drop ferrous items, people whose job it is to clean debris off sidewalks, compass-wielding explorers, and any metallic objects anywhere near street level in cities or suburbs. Small price to pay for working hoverboards everywhere!
Nothing posted to
Wrong. it is the people that think a typo actually is relevant in this venue that are tools.
Everyone but the tools knows that. You're obviously too proud to admit how stupid you looked back there, so just for future reference, citing a typo and then using that to support your laughable claims to superiority will backfire.
Kindly learn from your mistakes. Having you admit them here is apparently too much to expect. So just learn. I don't think that is unreasonable.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
hey bingo.
You know, you've been trolling me so long and so predictably that other people are starting to notice you right? I mean... you're an AC that starting to get known because you're so predictable. You're not the first but it is a small and rather notorious circle you're joining there, ol' bingo the clowno. ;)
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
I was talking generally, I didn't claim this was specifically new.
I'd been posting this video on all of my friends Facebook shares of the Lexus board already, lol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...