![]() ![]() Volkswagen is taking an entirely new approach to customer dialogue in China. In May of 2011, automobile manufacturer Volkswagen announced the commencement of a " People's Car Project" in China which solicited Internet users in that country to submit ideas online for a "Volkswagen model of the future": The car is able to levitate due to the abundance of minerals in Chengdu that act as electromagnetic roads. Whether or not those factories make posh Japanese cars with manga faces remains to be seen.Levitating Car is made by VW in Chengdu, China. You could use it, for example, to move and examine radioactive material without touching it, or to move things down a production line without the need for electrical power, which could save factories millions on energy bills. OK, so a liquid-nitrogen-cooled superconductor that travels exclusively along magnetic tracks isn’t the most practical transport solution, but the technology has other potential. Whether that translates into anything meaningful in car showrooms is arguable, but who cares, because they’ve just built a bloody hoverboard. The video will be shown around the world on various channels, and cool kids will think it’s super. On one level it’s a bit of Lexus brand drama to demonstrate the company’s philosophy of “making impossible possible”. To demonstrate this, the scientists give it a push, and off it goes, set in perpetual motion. Ultimately it might be slowed by the air, but we’re talking about miniscule deceleration. In fact, if he were to maintain perfect balance, he’d go round and round forever due to an almost complete lack of resistance. The break in the track meant summoning the physical effort to “leave the force field” and land it back on the thin magnetic strip. The hardest thing, he reckons, was nailing the jump from one ramp to another. He zips around at considerable speed, following the magnets hidden under the purpose-built track. Just watch the video, shot before Ross damaged himself. With a bit more practice I’d be flying around like Marty McFly, enjoying a magic carpet ride from the future. ![]() I make some progress and enjoy a brief, frictionless glide before my ankles hurt and my shins burn from the effort. I also try mounting it at speed, so I can now tell you exactly what concrete tastes like, until eventually Ross walks alongside and guides me along. ![]() So I lean forwards slightly, hoping to coax the board into some kind of motion, but it stays put like a stubborn, planky horse. Unfortunately I have the core strength of a suet pudding, and as I step onto the board it begins to tremble.Įven when Ross takes my hands (he’s a romantic soul) and I find my balance, I just stand there, not moving or doing anything especially useful. You must make microscopic movements and rely on strong core muscles to stay upright and steady – place your weight just slightly to one side of the imaginary central line and the board will wobble. So rather than adopting the posture of a surfer, you should actually imagine that you’re walking on a tightrope, with your toes pointing along the board. He tells me that the whole board teeters on a magnetic balance point just one centimetre wide, running lengthways down the middle. ![]()
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