The term "maglev" was coined by Howard Coffey in the 1970s as a shortened form of "magnetic levitation" for transportation. One dictionary defines maglev as "having to do with a railroad system using magnets to float a swiftly moving train above its tracks." This is a poor definition since there are no tracks, no need for a train of vehicles, and maglev can work at any speed. A better definition is "a transportation system in which the vehicles are suspended, guided and propelled by magnetic forces without any contact with the guideway."

Maglev is a recent name for an old idea: support a moving vehicle with magnetic fields so there is no contact between the vehicle and a guideway. This apparently simple idea has long inspired inventors, but in spite of sustained efforts by hundreds of people, publication of thousands of technical papers and the expenditure...