@The NYC Toy fair 2008 not everyone is a toy (or kit) maker – I met with two engineers that just showed up with their working prototype (The Z-drive) in hopes a toy maker might use it for something. It’s pretty incredible – I think these guys are getting my “MAKE’s best of show”… The worst part was watching the scammy “inventor company” people try and slime in and talk about all sorts of nonsense, but I guess that’s how it goes.
The bullet train & cars is a linear propulsion system that moves small objects along the tracks. It can go faster than their first attempts and has greater climb mobility for the objects (little items with 3 magnets underneath).
The Z-Drive is the third generation of linear propulsion system under development, it’s smoother at higher speeds and has the ability to climb steeper grades.
Circular version, can be a fan.
I’m going to see if they’ll do kit versions of these, they don’t use microcontrollers, it’s all just parts. It would be a fun MAKE kit to build your own train like this.
Here’s a video, it’s fun to watch.
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24 thoughts on “Amazing linear propulsion systems – no toy application (yet!)”
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Kits? Yes, please.
I hope Make keeps up with the ups and downs of these guys – this is an idea that has applications way beyond toys.
I wonder how they do this. Does it send some sort of “pulse train” that propels the magnets forward? I’m at work, so I can’t see the video.
It looks like they’re using printed circuits, instead of wound electromagnets, to create linear magnetic tracks which the magnetic cars follow. Smart. PT, do the cars touch the track or float a little above it?
@johnrdupree – they don’t float, but maybe on the nanoscale they do.
@amp – yah, you’ll need to watch the video.
The rails on the track are probably just rails. The magnets in the cars turn them into homopolar motors.
Please get kits of these made. Very cool concept. I hope the “inventor company” doesn’t end up scamming them.
AP: No magic here, and no homopolar motors either. This is an “iron core” type linear motor, which works exactly the same way as a regular DC brushless motor, where the outer case with its wound electromagnet coils has been slit along the axis of the motor, unrolled, and repeated. They have done a very, very nice job of designing the magnets for the cars and of laying out the coils as a printed circuit. (Bravo!)
Reminds me of the people mover at Disney World.
looks to me like the tracks consist of lots of little PCB coils – apart the same distance apart for the magnets on the cars, I bet they are driven with an AC signal of some sort and the freq of the signal controlls the speed probably sinks an awefull chunk of power ….
seems easily hackable – with some minor smarts you could even make points – keep your credit cards in the other room
a really cute idea, hope they get to make a bundle on it
the video was UNwatchable – could someone recommend a better link or source?
Is there any way to contact those engineers?