Powerful electromagnets don't work like that. They may switch on and off, and if you are in range, the motion is almost instantaneous. Its not like in the movi

Powerful electromagnets don't work like that. They may switch on and off, and if you are in range, the motion is almost instantaneous. Its not like in the movies where you have to be right up on it, and certain materials may attract at higher rates depending on the amount of ferromagnetic materials affected by the flux. Field flux lines may also be warped depending on the geometry so its possible the drop-off wasn't calculated properly during initial facility design, or it changed. Walking through the wrong door can have consequences as the news has reported.