After months of teasing, the Lexus Hoverboard which the company has been working on alongside creative agency CHI&Partners as part of their “Amazing in Motion” campaign, has finally been unveiled to the public, and it looks unbelievable. After a teaser campaign which generated thousands of pieces of international press coverage (we ourselves covered the campaign a few months back in fact) and sparked a worldwide debate on social media, Lexus have finally released SLIDE; a film featuring a real, rideable hoverboard.
The Lexus Hoverboard: SLIDE
The film was created by CHI&Partners and shot by award-winning film director Henry-Alex Rubin through Smuggler, in a custom-built Lexus hoverpark with unique jumps, ramps, bowls, and even a water feature built specifically for the hoverboard to glide over, in a move that was obviously inspired by Marty McFly in “Back to the Future 2.” Pro-skateboarder Ross McGouran takes centre-stage in the film, which shows him teaching himself to use the board in a series of increasingly challenging stunts. McGouran said of the experience: “I’ve spent 20 years skateboarding, but without friction, it feels like I’ve had to learn a whole new skill, particularly in the stance and balance in order to ride the hoverboard. It’s a whole new experience.”
The film was created by CHI&Partners and shot by award-winning film director Henry-Alex Rubin through Smuggler in a custom-built Lexus hoverpark
The Lexus Hoverboard: Hoverpark
CHI&Partners and Lexus began exploring prototypes for a hoverboard more than a year ago, collaborating with a team of scientists specialising in magnetic levitation. Following months of development and testing, the companies have overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges to create the Lexus Hoverboard, which uses a combination of liquid-nitrogen-cooled super-conductors and permanent magnets to float. Anticipation for “SLIDE” reached fever pitch after Lexus released the first teaser film on June 24th, generating more than 3,500 headlines globally in under two weeks. More than a million people voiced their excitement about the Lexus Hoverboard on social media, driving 590 million online impressions and 9 million views in less than a month. A debate followed about whether the hoverboard was real, but I never had a doubt (bit of a romantic when it comes to anything even remotely nerdy you see).
The Lexus Hoverboard: Motivation
Monty Verdi, Creative Director at CHI&Partners, said: “We’re immensely proud of ‘SLIDE’. Both Lexus and CHI&Partners have invested a huge amount of endeavour, determination and courage in this project – and together we’ve overcome enormous production and technical challenges to break new boundaries in science and technology.” CHI&Partners CEO Nick Howarth added: “This is arguably Lexus’ most ambitious ‘Amazing in Motion’ project yet, in more ways than one. Not only have CHI&Partners and Lexus collaborated to build an actual hoverboard; ‘SLIDE’ has also taken us far beyond the traditional remits of advertising – bringing together experts in production, PR, content and social media to achieve mass awareness for Lexus through the teaser phase alone.”
CHI&Partners and Lexus began exploring prototypes for a hoverboard more than a year ago, collaborating with a team of scientists specialising in magnetic levitation
The Lexus Hoverboard: Evolution
Mark Templin, Executive Vice President at Lexus International said: “Embarking on this project, we set out to push the boundaries of technology, design and innovation to make the impossible possible. With this project we call ‘SLIDE’, we collaborated with partners who share our passion for creating enjoyment out of motion. Even through combining our technology and expertise, we discovered making a hoverboard isn’t an easy process. We’ve experienced the highs and lows and have overcome a few challenges, but through mutual determination we have created a demonstration of our philosophy in design and technology to create Amazing in Motion.”
The Lexus Hoverboard: The Story
There’s been no word if Lexus ever plans to sell the SLIDE (all caps, all the time) of course, so right now it just seems like a phenomenally impressive proof of concept to show that the technology is out there and can be applied to making all our geekiest childhood dreams come true. Maybe when liquid nitrogen is available over the counter it’ll have a market, but until then if you want a spin (or rather a glide) on the SLIDE you’ll either have to be a professional skater with a lot of clout or know somebody at Lexus. So that’s me out then!
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK.
