Traditional iron magnets have been used in consumer products for hundreds of years, but they do have some limitations in terms of magnetic power and adaptability. In the 1980s, scientists used 17 rare ...

Neodymium is a rare-earth element essential for producing the strongest permanent magnets, which are widespread in defense ...

Two researchers who independently developed the neodymium magnet — used in everything from hard disk drives to automobiles — have been awarded the 44th Honda Prize. In 1982, two researchers working ...

Toyota says it has invented a new magnet for high-energy applications like electric motors that uses a fraction of the amount of neodymium (a rare-earth element) of a standard iron, boron, neodymium ...

A neodymium magnet is also known as NdFeB, NIB or Neo magnet is the most widely used type of rare-earth magnet. It is a permanent magnet made from an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron and used in ...

This article was taken from the June 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by ...