Research Trends on Magnetic Bearings

Use of magnetic bearings for high-speed rotor and application in clean environment or in special circumstance have been gradually increasing. This article overviews research trends and application presented before the Eighth International Symposium on Magnetic Bearings (ISMB-8). Interesting research topics are the combined realization of motor and magnetic bearing, low loss magnetic bearings and self-sensing techniques. New application fields include small spindles for data storage devices, energy storage flywheels, and artificial heart pumps. Various new technologies are reported related to these new application fields.