Electricity and Magnetism Bring About a New Age

As a society we are becoming increasingly aware that the technologies we predicted as

being future technologies of the subsequent generation; are actually becoming the reality of
our current generation. These seemingly futuristic, revolutionary, devices such as
smartwatches, google glass, even bionic eyes are revolutionizing human life as we know it
today. Ground breaking technologies have permeated an expansive variety of markets ranging
from consumer electronics, security and healthcare to advanced military weaponry. In this
essay I would like to focus on a specific market and application for these new technologies.
Namely, how the use of electricity and magnetism is revolutionizing the transportation of not
only people but also the transportation of data, goods, and weapons of mass destruction.
Perhaps the most revolutionary use of electricity and magnetism has been evident in
the most recent military development of the rail gun. In the past, a conventional cannon has
used a shell which has been inserted into a barrel. The shell is then propelled out of the barrel
via the energy transferred to it by the expansion of exploding gunpowder. Rail guns however,
have two parallel rails with a projectile in-between the rails that has a tendency to move when
charge passes through it. To launch the projectile, an electric current is sent down one rail,
across the projectile and then back down the second rail. Upon sending current into the system
the two magnetic rails develop a magnetic field. Both of the magnetic fields from each rail
consequently end up pointing in the same direction to create one resultant magnetic field
which is much stronger and therefore has a tendency to push the projectile down the rails, in a
direction away from the source. This magnetic field, along with the electric current still running

through the rails, conjointly propels the projectile down the rails and out of the rail gun at a
high velocity. As a result, rail guns fire projectiles using electricity and magnetism at much
higher speeds than previous cannons without the need to use energy from any sort of
expanding gas or explosive gunpowder.
Another innovative use of electricity and magnetism has been in the development of
MAGLEV (magnetic levitation) trains. Although the concept of MAGLEV trains has been around
for some time, due to the limitations of past technology the amount of magnetic force required
to lift a vehicle such as a train made it an unrealistic concept. As a result and the idea was
somewhat discredited until more recently when advancements in modern technology such as
superconductors could create a magnetic force large enough to generate the power necessary
to both lift a train off its tracks (reducing friction) as well as propel the train. MAGLEV trains
primarily use the concept of superconductivity to power them. A superconductor is a material
that offers no electrical resistance and thus emit magnetic fields. All known superconductor
materials are solids, and only exhibit superconducting properties when cooled to very low
temperatures. Superconductors emit magnetic fields due to the Meissner Effect. As a result,
small currents flow without any resistance near the surface of the superconductor material
where they create an opposite magnetic field which emits the magnetic field from the magnet.
Superconductors don't behave like a pair of magnets repelling one another. With two magnets
repelling each other, the force varies with how far apart the two magnets are. Thus, the
smaller the distance between the magnets, the greater the force. However, unlike magnets the
superconductors repulsion or attraction isnt dependent on distance and thus levitation can
happen 1/8" away or 1/4" away equally well. Therefore, superconductivity facilitates the

transfer of electrical current through a conducting material with virtually no resistance via the
use of extremely low temperatures. This made possible the creation of electromagnets strong
enough to emit the forces necessary to propel a train. MAGLEV engineers designed their trains
using superconducting coils with currents so strong they create a large, powerful magnetic
field. As a result, the field in turn creates a repulsive force capable of lifting a loaded train
several inches allowing it to hover above a railroad track. Electrical current which is then sent
through guide way coils on the track allows for enormous propulsive forces to be emitted,
which are capable of propelling MAGLEV trains forward at speeds up to and beyond 250 MPH.
Consequently, MAGLEV trains are decreasing the detrimental environmental impact of
automobiles, and can transport goods and people at much higher speeds than a car could safely
attain.
The manufacturing industry has also greatly benefitted with the advancement of
electricity and magnetism. This past summer I had the opportunity to work for Honda
Manufacturing of Alabama as a mechanical engineering intern and had the opportunity to
witness some incredible advancements with this particular technology in my area of
manufacturing. One use in particular immediately caught my interest and that is the use of the
Magnetic Sensing Part Delivery System (MSPDS). In the past, the parts necessary to
manufacture a car were delivered by people which drove a heavy, motorized sled known as a
tugger. These tuggers were almost like small trains which would pull up to 8 carts full of the
necessary parts to each appropriate zone within the factory. The problem with this method was
that tuggers often had a hard time maneuvering down narrow aisles of the factory with such a
long length of carts behind them. The result was often that these tuggers would overshoot or

undercut the turn they were supposed to take and as a result they would accidentally hit
employees or damage plant structures or equipment. Additionally, these tuggers were often
late, which meant there would be periods where the manufacturing equipment was down
since it didnt have the necessary parts to build part of a vehicle. Thus production would come
to a halt and the company would lose money. However, last summer, in an attempt to replace
the tugger system with a more efficient one, Honda began constructing their new Magnetic
Sensing Part Delivery System (MSPDS) throughout the plant and started using it immediately
after construction to make part deliveries to appropriate zones. The result was that this new
system saved the company a large sum of money by eliminating the employee injuries and
structural damage caused by the old tuggers. Additionally, production down times were
reduced to a minimum due to the computerized system which controlled the Magnetic Sensing
Part Delivery System which ensured that all necessary parts were always delivered to their
respective zones on time. The Magnetic Sensing Part Delivery System works by reading a strip
of electromagnetic plates embedded within the floor. Depending on the route, each
electromagnetic plate, sends a different signal to the computer controlling the system. The
computer can then decode and control how fast each motorized tugger should travel on certain
sections of the route accelerating or decelerating according to which section of a route its on
or where it is in the plant. In addition to this, the electro magnetic plates in the factories floor
also tell the system where and how severely to turn; as well as which warning lights and
warning sounds the system should emit to warn employees in the path of travel. Safety has also
drastically improved due to sensors, lasers and light curtains within the system which actively
seek out motion, body heat and human profiles to alert it of people in the immediate vicinity of

its path. The system will then slow down or stop completely based on object or people within
its path. As a result of this technology the new Magnetic Sensing Parts Delivery System is on
time every time and production as well as company savings have been increased.
In summary, advancements in the use of electricity and magnetism is revolutionizing our
world today. Transportation of people and goods has the potential of becoming much faster
and more efficient via the increased use and implementation of magnetic levitation (MAGLEV)
trains. Weapons are also becoming more destructive and more effective as a result of research
and development of new electric and magnetic technology is being conducted by the military.
This is evident in devices such as the recent advancements in rail gun weaponry. Production
companies are also benefitting and are now much more resourceful and prompt as a result of
budget saving technologies such as the Magnetic Sensing Part Delivery System (MSPDS) which
Honda is employing in its new engine plants. These examples, along with many other
electromagnetic systems and technologies are revolutionizing today and launching us into a
previously inconceivable world described by science fiction- the world of tomorrow. I look
forward to hopefully being able to witness space shuttles, gravity sleds, hyper loops and much
more being developed and creating using the principles of magnetism and electricity.

Works Cited:
MAGNETISM. (2001, January 17). Retrieved October 20, 2014, from
http://www.scienceclarified.com/everyday/Real-Life-Chemistry-Vol-5/Magnetism.html
Magic of Magnetism. (2013, June 9). Retrieved October 20, 2014, from
http://www.ece.neu.edu/faculty/nian/mom/technology.html
The Physics of the Railgun. (2012, January 3). Retrieved October 20, 2014, from
http://www.wired.com/2014/08/the-physics-of-the-railgun/