Remotely-controllable internal devices for insertion into a biological lumen and similar spaces within biological organisms; and magnetic systems for remote control thereof. Embodiments include mechanisms for linear motion within a lumen, mechanisms for payload release of therapeutic, diagnostic, and examination materials, and anchoring mechanisms for affixing a device to the outer wall of a lumen for a variety of medical and biological purposes. Related embodiments provide additional features including gradual payload release and reversibly-anchoring mechanisms Different functionalities (motion, payload release, anchoring) are independently-controllable through embodiment configurations featuring differing magnetic force thresholds and orthogonally-oriented magnetic responses.

A drive device includes a component carrier with a stack having at least one electrically conductive layer structure and/or at least one electrically insulating layer structure and a cavity formed in the stack. A driven body is arranged at least partially in the cavity and configured for being drivable to move relative to the component carrier. At least one drive coil for creating a magnetic drive field and at least one drive magnet interacts with the magnetic drive field created by the at least one drive coil to generate a force for moving the driven body relative to the component carrier. One of the at least one drive magnet and the at least one drive coil forms part of the component carrier and the other one of the at least one drive magnet and the at least one drive coil forms part of the driven body.

A magnetic field generator including: a yoke; and a plurality of main magnetic pole magnets and a plurality of secondary magnetic pole magnets, the main magnetic pole magnets and the secondary magnetic pole magnets comprising a rare earth sintered magnet, having magnetic pole orientations different from each other by substantially 90°, and being alternately arranged in a linear Halbach magnet array without gaps and fixed to the yoke, wherein near contact surfaces of the main magnetic pole magnets and the secondary magnetic pole magnets, a grain boundary diffusion layer is formed in which at least one of Dy or Tb being heavy rare earth elements or a compound of at least one of the Dy or the Tb is diffused into internal grain boundaries from the contact surfaces.

An operation unit includes an operation member, a gear portion provided on the operation member, a plurality of gears engaged with the gear portion and rotatable, and a plurality of magnets, each of which is provided to a corresponding one of the plurality of gears. The plurality of gears rotate so as to change an attractive force between the magnets, when a user operates the operation member.

A coupler includes a first member having a first engagement surface and a second member having a second engagement surface disposed for relative positioning of the first and second members along a line of adjustment. One or more magnetic elements are arranged on the first and second members to establish a magnetic flux between the first engagement surface and the second engagement surface, and thereby establishing a frictional force tending to hold the relative positions of the first and second members. The magnetic flux varies as a function of relative position of the first and second members along the line of adjustment, and has peaks at a plurality of detent positions along the line of adjustment.

A personal care product system having a stand and a handle is provided. The handle can be docked with the stand when not in use. The position of the handle relative to the stand is maintained by a docking magnet in the handle and a docking magnet in the stand. The stand includes a base having a stand resting plane and an opposing top surface. The handle extends upward from the opposing top surface of the stand and is tilted with respect to a vertical axis with a majority of the handle being unsupported. A handle resting plane intersects the stand resting plane at an included angle of less than 90 degrees, and an axis of polarity of the docking magnet in the handle intersects the handle resting plane at an included angle between 15 and 35 degrees to facilitate the tilted position of the handle.

A device comprises a retractable shaft; a shaft biasing spring; and an actuator button. The retractable shaft is biased away from the actuator button by the shaft biasing spring. A magnetic attracting force is created between the retractable shaft and the actuator button upon actuation of the actuator button. Before actuation, a distance between the actuator button and the retractable shaft is great enough that the magnetic attracting force is less than a biasing force of the shaft biasing spring such that the retractable shaft is biased away from the actuator button. Upon actuation, the actuator button is depressed to make the distance between the actuator button and the retractable shaft sufficiently small such that the magnetic attracting force is greater than the biasing force of the shaft biasing spring to allow the retractable shaft to be biased towards the actuator button.

One embodiment provides a method, including: receiving, at an information handling device, an indication to transmit an electrical pulse to an electropermanent magnet; transmitting, responsive to the receiving and using a pulse transmitter, the electrical pulse to the electropermanent magnet; and affecting a magnetic field associated with the electropermanent magnet responsive to receiving the electrical pulse. Other aspects are described and claimed.

A system and method for perturbing a permanent magnet asymmetric field to move a body includes a rotating body configured to rotate about a rotation axis, a permanent magnet arrangement arranged on the rotating body containing two or more permanent magnets, and a perturbation element. The permanent magnet arrangement is configured such that an asymmetric magnetic field is generated by the permanent magnets about a perturbation point. Actuation of the perturbation element at or near the perturbation point causes a tangential magnetic force on the rotating body and/or the permanent magnet arrangement, thereby causing the rotating body to rotate about the rotation axis. The disclosure may also be used for linear motion of a body.

The present application provides a headband arrangement for a welding helmet, comprising: a fixed attachment structure; and a helmet mounting structure cooperating with the attachment structure, wherein at least two stopping positions are defined longitudinally between the attachment structure and the helmet mounting structure, the helmet mounting structure is selectively switchable between an unlocking state and a locking state, wherein in the unlocking state, the helmet mounting structure is slidable between the stopping positions relative to the attachment structure, and wherein in the locking state, the helmet mounting structure can be locked to one of the stopping positions relative to the attachment structure and can be kept there by a magnetic force generated between a pair of magnetic parts.