Patent ID: 7772947

Claim:
A device for positioning an article, said device comprising: a frame; a series of actuators connected to said frame, wherein said series of actuators contains at least one armature therein, wherein said at least one armature is connected to said article, said series of actuators providing a force on said at least one armature to actuate movement of said at least one armature, thereby causing movement of said article, and wherein each actuator further comprises: at least one winding set for providing a coil flux; at least one permanent magnet for providing a permanent magnet flux; and a magnetically conductive core having said permanent magnet therein and at least a portion of said at least one winding set therein, wherein said series of actuators provides said at least one armature and said article with more than one degree of freedom due to the combination of said coil flux and said permanent magnet flux, and wherein said series of actuators is driven in opposition to cause a moment and thereby rotation of the article.