Medical apparatus includes an external drive magnet mounted for rotation
externally of a subject's body, an implantable driven magnet configured
and dimensioned to be implantable in the subject's body and mounted for t
rotation by magnetic coupling with the drive magnet and an implantable
device mechanically coupled to the driven magnet to be driven thereby. The
driven magnet is mountable for rotation in the subject's body about an
axis of rotation which is not collinear with the axis of rotation of the
external drive magnet such that the magnetic poles of the external drive
magnet are magnetically coupled sequentially with the magnetic poles of
the implanted driven magnet to rotate the implanted driven magnet, thereby
providing flexibility in the location, design and dimensions of the
implanted driven magnet, and in the speed and torque ratios between the
two magnets.