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KOHE! MINATO'S AMAZING MAGNETIC MOTOR KOHEI MINATO'S booming voice and a long ponytail. In work, the positioning and angle of the AMAZING MAGNETIC MOTOR short, you can easily imagine him on stage magnets is critical. Kicked into life, the or in a convertible cruising down the coast wheel keeps spinning, proving at least that by John Dodd © March 2004 of California—not hunched over a mass of the design doesn't suffer from magnetic wires and coils in Tokyo's cramped back _ lock-up. A maverick inventor's breakthrough elec - streets. Nobue then moves us to the next device, tric motor uses permanent magnets to make Joining us are a middle-aged banker and a weighty machine connected to a tiny bat- power—and has investors salivating... his entourage from Osaka and accounting — tery. Apparently the load on the machine is and finance consultant Yukio Funai. The a 35-kilogram rotor, which could easily be \ ), Then we first got the call from an banker is doing a quick review for an __ used ina washing machine. excited colleague that he'd just investment, while the rest of us just want to After she flicks the switch, the huge rotor seen the most amazing see if Minato's magnetic motors really spins at over 1,500 rpm effortlessly and invention—a magnetic motor that work. silently. Meters show the power in and consumed almost no electricity—we were A prototype car air conditioner/cooler power out. so sceptical that we declined an invitation _ sitting on a bench looks like it would fit into Suddenly, a power source of 16 watts or to go see it. If the technology was so good, a Toyota Corolla, and it quickly catches our _ so is driving a device that should be draw- we thought, how come they didn't have any attention. ing at least 200 to 300 watts. customers yet? Nobue explains to us that this and all the We forgot about the invitation and the Seeing is believing other devices only use electrical power for company until several months later when Nobue then takes us through the func- _ the two electromagnetic stators at either our friend called again. tions and operations of each of the _ side of each rotor, which are used to kick "Okay," he said. "They've just sold machines, starting off with a simple expla- _ the rotor past its lock-up point and then on 40,000 units to a major convenience store nation of the laws of magnetism and repul- _ to the next arc of magnets. chain. Now will you see it?" sion. She demonstrates the Minato Wheel Apparently the angle and spacing of the In Japan, no one pays for 40,000 conve- _ by kicking a magnet-lined rotor into action magnets is such that once the rotor is nience store cooling fans without being _ with a magnetic wand. moving, repulsion between the stators and reasonably sure they are going to work. Looking carefully at the rotor, we see that the rotor poles keeps the rotor moving it has over 16 magnets embedded ona slant. smoothly in a counterclockwise direction. The techno-maestro Apparently, to make Minato's machines Either way, it's impressive. nt O Tha « hen we first got the call from an excited colleague that he'd just seen the most amazing invention—a magnetic motor that consumed almost no electricity—we were so sceptical that we declined an invitation to go see it. If the technology was so good, we thought, how come they didn't have any customers yet? We forgot about the invitation and the company until several months later when our friend called again. "Okay," he said. "They've just sold 40,000 units to a major convenience store chain. Now will you see it?" In Japan, no one pays for 40,000 conve- nience store cooling fans without being reasonably sure they are going to work. Seeing is believing Nobue then takes us through the func- tions and operations of each of the machines, starting off with a simple expla- nation of the laws of magnetism and repul- sion. She demonstrates the Minato Wheel by kicking a magnet-lined rotor into action with a magnetic wand. Looking carefully at the rotor, we see that it has over 16 magnets embedded on a slant. Apparently, to make Minato's machines The techno-maestro The streets of east Shinjuku are littered with the tailings of the many small facto- ries and workshops still located there— hardly one's image of the headquarters of a world-class technology company. But this is where we are first greeted outside Kohei Minato's workshop by Nobue Minato, the wife of the inventor and co-director of the family firm. The workshop itself is like a Hollywood set of an inventor's garage. Electrical machines, wires, measuring instruments and batteries are strewn everywhere. Along the diagram-covered walls are drill presses, racks of spare coils, Perspex plat- ing and other paraphernalia. And seated in the back, head bowed in thought, is the 58- year-old techno-maestro himself. Minato is no newcomer to the limelight. In fact, he has been an entertainer for most of his life, making music and producing his daughter's singing career in the USA. He possesses an oversized presence, with a Inventor Kohei Minato stands next to one of his larger motor units which drives an industrial air conditioning fan. JUNE — JULY 2004 NEXUS + 41 by John Dodd © March 2004 www.nexusmagazine.com