The permanent magnets provide most of the suspension and guidance forces. Coils wound around the magnets are excited so as to stabilize the suspension and control the magnetic gap. Passive lateral guidance occurs as a natural byproduct of the suspension force and lateral offsets in the magnets allow the same coils that stabilize the suspension to also provide damping of lateral motion. The same magnetic field that produces the suspension and guidance forces also interacts with current in the guideway to produce propulsive force.
The use of one set of permanent magnets for EMS, guidance and propulsion is unique for Maglet. All other demonstrated EMS (Electro Magnetic Suspension) designs use electromagnets instead of permanent magnets and more than one set of magnets for suspension, guidance and propulsion.