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Liquid magnet propellers could be a safer way to power boats

Sharp metal propellers can harm wildlife, so an alternative made using ferrofluid could be a better approach, if it can be tweaked to work at higher speeds

By Alex Wilkins

21 December 2023

New Scientist Default Image

A ferrofluid propeller powered by electromagnets

Hiroto Kitamori et al

A robot boat with a propeller made from liquid magnets could be a safer alternative than solid metal blades, which can damage wildlife.

Jun Shintake at the University of Electro-Communications in Chōfu, Japan, and his colleagues created a prototype aquatic craft with a propeller made from ferrofluid, which consists of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles suspended in oil. It is controlled with electromagnets that switch on and off at high speed.

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