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Back to the Future’s hoverboard is a (virtual) reality

The hoverboard from Back to the Future II has been brought to life using an Oculus Rift VR headset, a Kinect motion sensor and Nintendo’s Wii Balance Board. It’s not an official brand tie-in, but the concept is identical – the project simulates a skateboard-like board that hovers just off the ground which you can ride around on.

Finally, some of you might be saying, a proper use for the Kinect and a reason to drag ye olde Wii Balance Board out of the cupboard where it’s probably been gathering dust for the past few years.

Unfortunately a real hoverboard like the one Marty McFly rode in Back to the Future Part II is still a no-show, so we have to settle for a virtual ride instead.

Gamespot reports that Quince, a communications agency in Amsterdam has cobbled together the VR setup and while the ‘in-game’ graphics aren’t anything to look at quite yet, the video shows the general concept working quite well.

In the video you see a “rider” strap on the VR headset, climb onto the Balance Board while being watched by a Kinect. His body’s motions are then translated into virtual reality, allowing him to ride through virtual environments as if he’s straddling a real hoverboard.

While I’d still rather have a real hoverboard like the one in Back to the Future, this is a pretty neat second prize. Let’s hope toy-maker Mattel has a real one up its sleeve that will be unveiled in 2015 – the year Marty visits in the future – finally rolls around.

[Source – Gamespot]

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