Hermann Kemper (5 April 1892 in Nortrup – 13 July 1977) was a German engineer and pioneer in

magnetic levitation Magnetic levitation (maglev) or magnetic suspension is a method by which an object is levitation (physics), suspended with no support other than magnetic fields. Lorentz force, Magnetic force is used to counteract the effects of the gravitation ...

sometimes known as the father of maglev. Herman Kemper began his research on magnetic levitation in 1922. In 1933, Kemper constructed a working circuit for hovering on the principle of electromagnetic levitation, using electromagnetic attraction. He was awarded the Reichs Patent number 643316, "Schwebebahn mit räderlosen Fahrzeugen, die an eisernen Fahrschienen mittels magnetischer Felder schwebend entlang geführt wird" (the invention of a hovertrack with wheelless vehicles which hover along iron rails using magnetic fields). This invention eventually led to the development of

Transrapid Transrapid () is a German-developed high-speed monorail train using magnetic levitation. Planning for the system started in the late 1960s, with a test facility in Emsland, Germany, inaugurated in 1983. In 1991, technical readiness for ...

. In 1972, he received recognition for his research achievements, the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kemper, Hermann 1892 births 1977 deaths German electrical engineers Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Scientists from Osnabrück Engineers from Lower Saxony