‘Back to the Future' hoverboard comes to life


The future is here already - or at least the one imagined for Marty McFly - with a carmaker unveiling a real, working hoverboard, like that used in the "Back To The Future" film franchise. Toyota's luxury car brand Lexus says it has created a prototype that glides without friction just above the ground with technology similar to that used in so-called maglev trains. A teaser video posted online appears to show the hoverboard floating, although the sequence ends before a skateboarder actually begins to ride it. While the hoverboard Michael J. Fox's character rides in "Back To The Future II" floats above anything - except water - the Lexus model requires magnets to be embedded in the ground, limiting its range to special tracks. The project is "the perfect example of the amazing things that can be achieved when you combine technology, design and imagination," said Mark Templin, executive vice president at Lexus International. Testing will take place in Barcelona, Spain "over the coming weeks until summer 2015," the company said.