Here Are Our Best Guesses For Who's Behind That Fake Hover Board Commercial
But no one has figured out who's behind the HUVr website and video, or what they're up to.
That includes us, but we have a few good guesses.
1. It's an early promotion for a new 3D technology
We found 2011 paper about a project called heads-up virtual reality (HUVR) by a team at UC San Diego. It presents a "relatively low-cost augmented reality system that enables users to touch the virtual environment they are immersed in."
A fake commercial for a hover board would be a cool way to grab attention before an announcement that this technology is ready for the market, but it's a long shot that they could get such high-profile celebrities involved. We've reached out to some team members and will update this if we hear back.
2. It's Jimmy Kimmel's latest prank
The late night host has been on a prank roll lately and has the star power to get celebrities involved, so there's no reason to count him out as a possibility.
3. Funny or Die made it
CNET reports that costume designer and artist Lauren Biedenharn's resume listed "Commercial: Back to the Future HUVR BOARDS," with Funny Or Die listed as the producer. Her resume looks like it's since been edited to remove that line, though.
4. It's an early promo for a new "Back to the Future" movie
This is our bet. The hover boards used in Back to the Future Part II and Part III look just like the ones featured here. Christopher Lloyd, who starred in the movies, plays a role in this video. And he shows up in the DeLorean used in the movies to travel through time.
The HUVr website has December 2014 listed as "destination time," so maybe that's when we'll find out more.
Until then, don't expect to be floating above the ground on a futuristic skateboard any time soon. But you can enjoy the video: