Resources and Links
Image credit- Pixabay
https://www.zmescience.com/science/hoverboards-real-science-07112021/
https://nerdist.com/article/real-life-back-to-the-future-hoverboard-working/
In the Back to the Future movie franchise, the hoverboard was a technology that fascinated me. Riding a skateboard was something I did as a child, and I dreamed of flying through the sky on a hoverboard like a flying carpet. Such a technology exists in its infancy today, and the physics behind it is amazing.
A hoverboard works by using a superconductor that is chilled by liquid nitrogen. The superconductor is then moved over a magnetic strip that repels the supercooled superconductor surface. The surface of the hoverboard is coated in a superconductor that resists the magnetic field of the magnetic strip when it is supercooled. In order for this to work, the superconductor surface must be chilled by t liquid nitrogen frequently, so if you fly on one of these boards, expect to take frequent breaks. This is the quick explanation for how a hoberboard works, now let's review some superconductor basics.
What is a superconductor? It is a state in which a material that is superconductive has no electrical resistance, and cannot allow magnetic fields to operator within it. Maglev trains, MRI machines and supercomputers use superconductors to operate, and require cooling to work. In essence, we know that materials that become superconductive are useful for computing and movement of materials, but we need these items to be cooled constantly. The goal of the future is to create superconductors that operate at room temperature.
Hoverboards are made with materials we currently use to move people en mass. Maglev trains are in operation in Europe and Asia, and are reliable. A recent prototype made by a mechanical engineer used spinning magnets and a steel surface to levitate. The prototype is fuctional, but requires a conducive surface below to operate but this model does not need to be cooled at all. All hoverboard technology currently involves magnetic fields above a conducive or superconductive material.
The hoverboard is a dream technology we associate with the future. Science fiction depictions of the device do not show conducive materials underneath, and do not depict dipping them in liquid nitrogen. This technology is in its infancy, and will be developed into a mature model we can use one day.
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