Scalable, highly dynamic electromagnetic linear drive having limited stroke, comprising: - a stator which has two soft magnet arms; - an at least partially flat armature made of soft magnet material, which is arranged in a manner allowing movement along a longitudinal axis between the arms of the stator; - at least two flat stator coils (S1, S2) each with a soft magnet stator coil core a winding height, which are attached to the stator, wherein the coil cores of the flat stator coils (S1, S2) each form a part of the soft magnetic arms or are connected therewith in a magnetically conductive manner, wherein the two flat stator coils (S1, S2) are arranged on two sides of the stator arms which lie opposite each other, and are arranged coaxially, such that the two flat stator coils (S1, S2) comprise a common coil axis which is oriented normal to the longitudinal axis; - at least one flat armature coil (A1, A2) with a soft magnet flat coil core and a winding height, which is attached to the armature, wherein the coil core of the flat armature coil is part of the armature and/or can be formed from the same, or the armature coil is positioned, with its soft magnet coil core, lying in a recess of the flat armature, wherein the at least one armature coil (A1, A2) comprises a coil axis, which is orientated normal to the longitudinal axis and parallel to the coil axis of the stator coils (S1, S2), and in which current can be fed to the at least one armature coil (A1, A2) in a direction opposite to the stator coils (S1, S2) in order to move the armature from the stroke initiation position into the stroke end position; - a well-defined stroke initiation position and stroke end position; - at least one switchable means which is designed to hold the armature in at least one end position against a return force; - a switchable power supply comprising an energy storage device and at least one switch, in which the switchable means is a self-locking magnet which is mechanically connected to the armature, or is a mechanical latch. - a stator which has two soft magnet arms; - an at least partially flat armature made of soft magnet material, which is arranged in a manner allowing movement along a longitudinal axis between the arms of the stator; - at least two flat stator coils (S1, S2) each with a soft magnet stator coil core a winding height, which are attached to the stator, wherein the coil cores of the flat stator coils (S1, S2) each form a part of the soft magnetic arms or are connected therewith in a magnetically conductive manner, wherein the two flat stator coils (S1, S2) are arranged on two sides of the stator arms which lie opposite each other, and are arranged coaxially, such that the two flat stator coils (S1, S2) comprise a common coil axis which is oriented normal to the longitudinal axis; - at least one flat armature coil (A1, A2) with a soft magnet flat coil core and a winding height, which is attached to the armature, wherein the coil core of the flat armature coil is part of the armature and/or can be formed from the same, or the armature coil is positioned, with its soft magnet coil core, lying in a recess of the flat armature, wherein the at least one armature coil (A1, A2) comprises a coil axis, which is orientated normal to the longitudinal axis and parallel to the coil axis of the stator coils (S1, S2), and in which current can be fed to the at least one armature coil (A1, A2) in a direction opposite to the stator coils (S1, S2) in order to move the armature from the stroke initiation position into the stroke end position; - a well-defined stroke initiation position and stroke end position; - at least one switchable means which is designed to hold the armature in at least one end position against a return force; - a switchable power supply comprising an energy storage device and at least one switch, in which the switchable means is a self-locking magnet which is mechanically connected to the armature, or is a mechanical latch.