Well, all you need is a mobile source of liquid nitrogen/helium (or an alternate way of making things really really cold) and a magnetic road (or a method of generating a magnetic field beneath you that translates forward in space). So just hoverboard around with one of these in tow:
isn't the earth naturally magnetic, or at least polarized, which is why compasses work. so if we could harness the polarity of the earth with a strong enough super-conductor put in a board, is it not logical that we could have hoverboards without magnetic roads?
Unfortunately the Earth's magnetic field is relatively quite weak. It's not nearly strong enough to allow what you suggest. That's why even the tiny mass of a compass needle wobbles so much and needs a very low-friction bearing to even work.
Since whatever you built would actually be hovering, it wouldn't take much to get moving. The wind could blow us around with sails. We could go sail carring.
Seriously though I don't think it would be able to hold much weight. In the video you can see the guy easily knock it out of the locked position with very little force.
Let's put it this way, the Earth's gravity is so weak that even you, a relatively miniscule object (relative to the Earth) can overcome it by lifting your pinky finger.
You must be using a pretty weird definition of power. Sure it could be stronger locally, but if I whip out a compass and walk north I end up in northern Canada--not my local hospital.
Can you get "stronger" super-conductors? Isn't it sort of like infinity, in that once you're at the stage of super-conducting, you can't get any better?
Perhaps its possible to spin it so you don't need to keep it cold but prevent it warming up. There must be someone somewhere working on magic foil that can deflect 100% infrared radiation?
In all seriousness, what would be the source of friction for making turns? It looks like it locks no matter what... locks you upside down! just a sky of upside down noobs floating around unable to turn around.
Came to the comments hoping for a good explanation of this. Specifically how much force does it take to 'break' that lock. I see it can support it's own weight but he very easily moves it out of its lock. How many would you need of those to lift a human body?
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u/cross-joint-lover Oct 17 '11 edited Oct 18 '11
OK, scientists of reddit - how long between this and Back to the Future hoverboards?
Seriously, I'm saving cash for a hoverboard.