Traditional magnets have a north pole on one side and a south pole on the other. The magnetic field energy goes from one side of the magnet all the way around to the other side of the magnet, a reasonably long trip.

But magnet printing tech changed all that. Now we can have magnets with north and south on the same side of the magnet, very close together. This makes magnets that are much more efficient, much stronger, but even better, it makes magnets with some pretty magic behavior.

If you have no interest in the theory and just want to see the new pretty, jump to about 5:45 in. You’ll see a demo of a new kind of spring. This really appeals to the engineer in me.

Science!