Prosthetic Attachment

Controllable Axial-flux Halbach Arrays

Magnetic actuators for large-gap magnetic suspension tasks are not readily available. Electromagnets can create the strong fields needed, however high powers are required to maintain these fields. Switchable permanent magnets, such as the MagSwitch®, can maintain fields with low power, however these are not generally used when the air-gap is large. To solve this problem, we are developing a new type of magnetic actuator called a controllable axial-flux Halbach array (CAHA). This array takes advantage of the Halbach magnetization pattern to create a strong field above the array (to attract objects) and a weak field below (to not interact the environment) without the need for ferromagnetic shielding. By concentrically nesting two axial-flux Halbach arrays together, the strong field above the array can be controlled by changing the relative rotation between the two rings. This creates the high fields required to apply forces over long distances (outperforming the MagSwitch®), and changing the field at low frequencies is much more power efficient than electromagnets.

• Project Lead: Will Flanagan
• Project Team: He Kai Lim, Cameron Taylor (alumnus)