Programmable Magnets 120
Martin Hellman writes "A few weeks ago Popular Mechanics awarded one of its Breakthrough Awards for the invention of 'programmable magnets.' Instead of having a single North or South pole, these clever devices have an array of North and South poles. If a matching device with exactly the same array is aligned with the first one, they will experience strong repulsion, just like two single North poles do when brought near one another. If the matching device has the complementary array (North and South interchanged), with correct alignment the two devices will attract. But a slight misalignment will cancel most of the force. Other configurations are possible as well, allowing frictionless magnetic gears and exploding toys. The inventor, Larry Fullerton, used techniques similar to those from CDMA modulation. (Watch the intro video for a brief explanation. While I don't understand magnetism that well, I do understand CDMA and carrying over those ideas to magnetic arrays does make sense to me.)"
Like folding proteins (Score:4, Interesting)
Having objects, linear or otherwise, with a differing array of N/S, or plusses and minusses, that can attract or repel allows one to create objects that can interact in ways similar to proteins that fold - objects will be able to configure or reconfigure in very interesting ways.
And we can see it in our space, without microscopes, and play with them.
Extremely interesting properties (Score:4, Interesting)
The main pattern shown in the video is stronger than standard NIB magnets at close range. But die out quickly with distance. That makes them much safer to handle. The strongest NIB magnets could seriously injure you.
I'm curious though about how the pattern used affects how they attract ferrous objects. My hope would be that it has a very similar effect with ferrous objects as with the corresponding magnet, namely that it has greater attraction at short range, but dies out quickly with distance. That also seems logical based on my understanding of induced magnetic dipoles, but I'm no magnetism expert. If so, this also helps to mitigate the other main danger of powerful magnets. (Flying paperclips, etc)
The pattern they show also has minimal net force if one of the magnets is rotated out of alignment, and provides relatively small resistance to such rotation. That has lots of obvious uses for quick- connect quick-disconnect cables, especially those that need to need to withstand high normal forces, but not rotational forces. I'm not clear how the magnets they show handle shearing forces, but either way would have uses for various connectors.
Re:One small step... (Score:3, Interesting)
Railguns are nice, and would work for materials that could stand the strain of a Super-G acceleration.
Sadly, most people don't fit into that category.
I know! How about a maglev loop and a high mountain?
Evacuate most of the atmosphere from a track built as giant loop of pipe with a tail, something like the figure 6 (or 9, in Australia :^), except very, very large. Point the tail up the side of a tall mountain. Magnetically suspend the craft in the pipe, accelerate past escape velocity at a rate of 1-2Gs, then send it "up the tail" into space.
Possible? Could be!
Safe? Who knows!
Fun? You bet!
Re:Critical analysis (Score:3, Interesting)
The concept that wearing off or charging of magnets isn't a correct concept. Unless a magnet is driven past a certian energy level it simply remains. The problem of AlNiCo magnets and similar early on was that they were not of a stable crystal design. They were pretty stable but not completely. The NiB magnets are extremely stable.
I really appreciate a good question person. Good science is so rare today. We see on /. so many people who chose to heckle rather than to see. I have handled and seen in person the CMR demos. Their stuff works. The fundamental understanding here is that a magnetic field is (Shockingly) a magnetic field. Their lead guy noticed that magnetic fields worked exactly like EM Fields from RF. I know it is obvious once said but the discovery is that an EM Field (Electromagnetic Field) is well an EM Field. This allows all of the mix and match you see in standard RF stuff. The principal difference here is that a magnetic field operates like DC rather than RF as AC. Both the same otherwise.
One demo device they showed me (No disclosure of details because I am under NDA) would slide to attract just as if it were a standard magnet and then it would break away just upon being pushed past the lock point. Think of this one. Ponder it for a while. You mean I could have a motor pole that attracted in just like normal and then actually got repelled away as soon as it passed without any added energy? (no coils or electricity????) Thought you might like to think a long time on this one. This is much more of a discovery set than you might think. No CMR isn't publically proposing to use it for this. Just study on this for a while.
Re:One small step... (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course, we could probably just do the railgun the size of the solar system... when it's that large, you don't need to accelerate very quickly, since you have plenty of time to get to top speed. Also, then we could totally declare war on Alpha Centauri.
Re:Professor John Searl was first with this, no? (Score:1, Interesting)
Maybe you should have studied this before opening your mouth by just citing a DAMNED WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE. I wish I could mod you as "moron". The link below contains further reading related to various other organizations who have reviewed and sponsored his projects, incl. GE who appears to have placed his research within their top 100 candidates for projects being worthwhile their time. Do you often get yourself into awkward situations after saying stupid things about topics you have no idea about?
http://www.swallowcommand.com/