Propulsion and control for a magnetically lifted vehicle

A vehicle comprising:

• a first hover engine, a second hover engine, a third hover engine and a fourth hover engine, each of the first, the second, the third and the fourth hover engines having,
• an electric motor including a winding, a first set of permanent magnets and a first structure which holds the first permanent magnets wherein an electric current is applied to the winding to cause one of the winding or the first set of permanent magnets to rotate;
• a second structure, configured to receive a rotational torque from the electric motor to rotate the second structure,
• the second structure holding a second set of permanent magnets wherein the second set of permanent magnets are rotated to induce eddy currents in a substrate such that the induced eddy currents and the second set of permanent magnets interact to generate forces which cause the vehicle to hover above and/or translate from location to location along the substrate;
• one or more speed controllers coupled to the first hover engine, the second hover engine, the third hover engine and the fourth hover engine;
• a chassis;
• a first actuator coupled to the chassis and the first hover engine wherein the first hover engine is rotatable relative to the chassis, the first actuator including a first controller configured to receive first commands from a guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system and in response to the first commands generate a first force which causes the first hover engine to rotate relative to the chassis;
• a second actuator coupled to the chassis and the second hover engine wherein the second hover engine is rotatable relative to the chassis, the second actuator including a second controller configured to receive second commands from the GNC system and in response to the second commands generate a second force which causes the second hover engine to rotate relative to the chassis;
• a third actuator coupled to the chassis and the third hover engine wherein the third hover engine is rotatable relative to the chassis, the third actuator including a third controller configured to receive third commands from the GNC system and in response to the third commands generate a third force which causes the third hover engine to rotate relative to the chassis;
• a fourth actuator coupled to the chassis and the fourth hover engine wherein the fourth hover engine is rotatable relative to the chassis, the fourth actuator including a fourth controller configured to receive fourth commands from the GNC system and in response to the fourth commands generate a fourth force which causes the fourth hover engine to rotate relative to the chassis;
• wherein the first, the second, the third and the fourth hover engines are each independently rotatable relative to the chassis and one another;
• the GNC system communicatively coupled to the first controller, the second controller, the third controller and fourth controller and an inertial measurement unit (IMU), the GNC system configured to receive sensor data from the IMU, generate a guidance solution which includes an orientation and velocity of the vehicle as a function of time, generate control commands to send to the first, second, third and fourth actuators to implement the guidance solution;
• and
• an on-board electric power source that supplies the electric current to the first hover engine, the second hover engine, the third hover engine and the fourth hover engine and the first actuator, the second actuator, the third actuator and the fourth actuator.