In 2042 a propulsion device called  Machian Propulsion was introduced.

This device utilized transient mass fluctuations that commonly occur in

atoms when exposed to an electrical field to create thrust "pulses" that

would provide propulsion. It was basically a quantum ping-pong paddle with

 a ball attached to the paddle via a rubber band. Except this ball would

 weigh more when the paddle struck the ball than when the ball would

 bounce back on the rubber string and this process happened at a rate of

 100 kilohertz. The effect was a powerful drive system that required no fuel,

 weighed less than comparable ion propulsion systems, and required less

 power while producing more thrust. The first generation of these systems

 were capable of lifting payloads vertically from the moons surface while

 only using 8 kilowatts of power.

Interplanetary commerce was transformed rapidly to become even more

pervasive in society than before. The second generation designs that

appeared by 2048 were capable of lifting ships with cargo vertically off of

the surface of the Earth.

    The construction of the

     second generation design

    of Machian Propulsion Systems

    (MPS) consisted of powerful

    electromagnets that would create

    extremely powerful impulses at the

    peaks and valleys of atomic mass

     fluctuations to generate a powerful thrust.

Electromagnets feature strongly in the construction of these MPS, as

 evidenced by the above photo.