Japanese have their own way to roll

TOKYO, JAPAN Japanese engineers are developing a competing version of magnetic-levitation trains, using a system based on the repelling force of magnets.

electromagnets attached to the undercarriage are directed up toward a steel guideway, levitating the train about a centimetre above the guideway and keeping it levitated when it's not moving.

Other guidance magnets embedded in the train's body keep it stable during travel.

The key difference is that the Japanese system uses supercooled, superconducting electromagnets that conduct electricity even when the power supply is shut off.

In the German system, which uses standard electromagnets, the coils conduct electricity only when a power supply is present.

Another difference is that the Japanese trains levitate nearly 10 cm above the guideway and roll on rubber tires until they reach a lift-off speed of about 100 km/h.

TORONTO STAR