→ Magnets make left-handers right-handed

Researchers at the University of California have been using magnets to influence which hand volunteers choose in everyday situations:

According to the scientists, the magnet generates a magnetic field on a small part of the skull which creates weak electric currents in the brain. The currents interfere with nearby brain cells and prevent them from firing normally.

…

When the magnet was placed on the left side of the brain region, the volunteers used their left hand more frequently than when the magnet was switched off.

We’re getting ever-closer to magnetic mind control, and we can’t wait!

From Melbourne’s mX newspaper:

Girl magnet so attractive

A Serbian schoolgirl has amazed medics with her astonishing magnetic hands.

For the past five years, Jelena Momcilov, 10, has been picking up cutlery, metal furniture and coins just by touching them.

Experts at Nis University have urged scientists to investigate this “unknown form of biomagnetism”.

13th September, 2009

Perhaps Jelena has a magnetic sixth sense?

#022: Palm Pre Induction Charging

Owners of the Palm Pre smartphone (sadly not available in Australia) have a nifty way to charge their phones - wirelessly, and magnetically. Simply place the phone on the ‘Touchstone’ wireless charger, and rare earth magnets hold it in place whilst magnetic induction replenishes the battery.

Now that’s a futuristic way to charge your phone. See how it works and then watch it in action.

#021: Maglev Magnetic Levitation Trains

Maglev trains have no conventional tracks, no engines and no wheels, instead using magnets to propel themselves. A series of magnets levitate the train above the track and then launch it forwards using the same basic principles as the electric motor. Maglev trains are quieter, smoother, more energy-efficient and much faster - up to 581 kilometres per hour!

The video above from Transrapid offers a great overview. If you’re hungry for more, HowStuffWorks and Wikipedia have some great reading. If you’ve been on one of these magnetic trains, how was it? Let us know!

#017: OLEV Electric Vehicle Concept

Last week, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology showed off the “On-Line Electric Vehicle” (OLEV), an electric car that runs on power transmitted by magnets hidden underground:

The magnetic field is so strong that the train’s battery takes the charge without the slightest sign of movement. No part of the train other than the wheels comes closer than about 7 inches to the ground – a difficult technological achievement considering that the power is passing through a layer of air.

That’s a clever form of induction charging hard at work. There are some issues, most of them infrastructure and monetary based, but there’s certainly potential if the technology can overcome the achilles heel of the electric car - it’s limited range.

We’ll be featuring induction charging in the coming weeks. Check back soon to learn how it works!

Read more at The Christian Science Monitor.

#015: Mission to Mars

NASA’s Mars Rovers, like the Viking 1 shown above, are using magnets to collect and analyse dust particles found on the red planet:

Previous Mars landers (the two Vikings and Mars Pathfinder) had magnetic arrays that collected magnetic particles from the surface and from windblown dust near the surface. The Mars Exploration Rover version of the experiment includes magnets to attract airborne Martian magnetic materials from higher in the atmosphere.

We’re so proud to see magnets conquering the final frontier. Of course, there’s far more magnetic action happening in space, especially considering that Earth itself is a giant magnet.

Read more about Martian Magnets in this article from NASA (unfortunately it’s slightly unfinished).

#013: Sixth Sense Magnetic Implant

Here’s a strange one. Wired reporter Quinn Norton had a magnet implanted in his index finger to give him a ‘sixth sense’:

I would circle my finger with a strong magnet and feel the one in my finger spin. In time, bits of my laptop became familiar as tingles and buzzes. Every so often I would pass near something and get an unexpected vibration. Live phone pairs on the sides of houses sometimes startled me.

That’s certainly one of the best body mods we’ve ever seen, but it’s not something we’d recommend for the average magnet enthusiast. Norton developed a nasty infection and the magnet eventually shattered, causing some long-term medical issues. Still, we’d take one over a tongue-ring any day!

Read more about the implants at Wired.

#009: Repelling Grapes

Did you know that a strong magnet will repel a grape? Grapes are mostly water, and water slightly repels a magnetic field.

MagnetNerd Rob Gallagher delivers the proof above.

#008: Floating Bed

Does your bed satisfy you magnetically? If not, then you might want to consider Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars and his ‘floating bed.’

The bed is suspended entirely by magnets, and ‘floats’ at about 40cm above the ground. Four small tethers hold the bed steady whilst it supports up to 900kg of weight.

It all happens with simple permanent magnets – there’s no trickery here. These must be some incredibly strong magnets, but the bed apparently remains perfectly safe (though we wouldn’t recommend sleeping with earrings in).

Interested? You’ll need a cool $1.5 million to sleep in levitated luxury. We could be saving for a while…

#005: Repelling Sharks

We’ve already blogged about some of the more predictable uses for magnets, so here’s one that’s out of this world: magnets repel sharks.

Yup, real sharks! Like the one’s you’d (rather not) find stalking our beaches. But before you dismiss us as crazy, watch this video from SharkDefense Technologies for proof.

It may only be a small shark (and trust us, that’s one big Rare Earth magnet), but the principle seems to work. Here’s what SharkDefense have to say about why:

Several species of sharks have demonstrated the ability to sense magnetic fields (Kalmijn, 1978; Ryan, 1980; Klimley, 1993; 2002). The Ampullae of Lorenzini organ within sharks is used to detect weak electrical fields at short ranges. The detection range of this organ is effective only within inches, as sharks sense bioelectrical fields in the final stages of prey capture. SharkDefense has found that flux per unit area of certain permanent magnets, particularly Neodymium-Iron-Boride and Barium-Ferrite magnets, corresponds closely with the detection range of the Ampullae of Lorenzini. A permanent magnet with the correct specifications is hypotheiszed to over-stimulate the Ampullae of Lorenzini, and may therefore be used as selective shark repellent.

SharkDefense

We’re believers, but we’re not too sure about how practical it is, especially considering you need to get the magnet within centimetres of the shark. Les Stroud from the Discovery Channel put the theory to the test using a magnet hidden on the sea floor – and the shark couldn’t care less. Watch it here.

Normally we’d link to suitable magnets and encourage you to experiment for yourself, but not this time! We don’t recommend you rely on magnets as defense against sharks – and we mean we really don’t recommend it. Nevertheless, some of our customers have been buying our magnets to sew into their wetsuits, but we haven’t heard back to see if they’re working. Hello? Anybody?