Editor's note: this is a throwback story from 2014. How many of you remember this story?
A hoverboard, such as the fantastically 1980s pink kind Marty McFly rides on in "Back to the Future Part II," is often regarded as the most amazing item we don't yet have. But this viral hoverboard's 'levitating' performance might be it... if it turns out to be real.
The Viral Hoverboard
The internet has discovered a quickly-going-viral video Tuesday from a mystery firm named HUVr. CNET says that this viral hoverboard circulating online not only outperforms the most sophisticated superconducting research from just three years ago but 'allegedly' makes it better than before.
The hoverboard not only can withstand more weight than the 100kg threshold of "Mag Surf." The latter is a hovering model created in 2011 that uses a liquid nitrogen-cooled superconductor and magnetic track. It can also be operated by a smartphone to lift an individual off the surface, move at high speeds, and appear to extend an electromagnetic field to contoured items such as ramps.
The company, HUVr has posted "The Future Has Arrived" on its website with a product launch planned for December. In a YouTube video, demonstrations include Tony Hawk twirling in mid-air, Terrell Owens vaulting four feet off the ground from a flat-ground halt, and Moby persuading the internet even he, the tech neophyte that he is, can use HUVr.
But, whatever the goal of this viral video, Internet debunkers were quick to figure out its authenticity.
Also Read: Meet Hendo, a 'Back to the Future' Kind of Hoverboard
Real or Hoax?
CNET believes the team behind HUVr is shown on the website stereotypically folding their arms are only claiming to have invented it at MIT's Physics Graduate Program in the summer of 2010. They describe their hoverboard with just enough jargon diversions. So far, with an email on their website, no person has replied yet that would debunk speculations that the hoverboard video is real.
Some believe it's a "Back to the Future IV" teaser. That seems possible, but the film has never been formally announced and has been mired in unfounded rumors for years. However, given Lloyd's participation in the video, there's a potential that a viral marketing effort of this size truly is confirmation that the long-awaited film is on its way to completion.
There are other clues throughout the video that we're being duped, including the ensemble cast of awed celebs like Los Angeles rapper Schoolboy Q, Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino, and Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future (Christopher Lloyd). In reality, it's possible that a lot of celebrities were recruited to participate in the scam, both because it's entertaining and because it serves as a fantastic distraction from the fact that no genuine members of the allegedly legitimate MIT-spawned firm are recognized.
Remember that following the release of the second film in the Back to the Future trilogy, director Robert Zemeckis staged a hoax, stating in a behind-the-scenes documentary that hoverboards were genuine and not available to the public due to safety concerns. He kept it up, ensuring that it was included in the "extras" portion of the trilogy DVD box set.
Related Article: Hoverboard Buying Guide: Tips, Best Brands, Prices, And Safety Reminders
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Written by Thea Felicity
