I'm obsessed with the concept of a "levitating motor" and I would like to do some tests eventually which involve electromagnets. Technically the motor would not have to levitate. I'm more interested in whether I could control the position of a circular platform which has a magnet on it by pulsing an array of electromagnets which are strategically positioned around the platform.

This is kind of how a stepper motor works, right?

My theory is that it would be possible to adjust the position through acute pulses. Maybe even with a high degree of precision. On the other hand, I suspect it would require an inordinate amount of energy to do correctly and it may have a lot of heat dissipation issues. Plus I suspect it would not be able to sustain much weight. Also I guess it would be acutely susceptible to other electromagnetic forces, so maybe the top part of the platform would require shielding... The odds are against me and this is probably going to be one expensive motor, haha.

But it would be really cool if the position of the motor were determined by back and forth pulses rather than "steps". I envision a world where I can give a rotational angle rather than an amount of steps and the motor would be able to point to that location.

Perhaps someday I will have enough time to investigate the feasibility of this kind of design.