In various embodiments, a skewed Halbach array rotor as disclosed herein includes (1) a plurality of magnets arranged and oriented relative to adjacent ones of the magnets to form a substantially cylindrical Halbach array the combined magnetic field of which is concentrated on one side of the array, wherein the substantially cylindrical Halbach array has a rotational axis and each of at least a subset of the magnets is oriented in a fixed position such that the longitudinal axis of the magnet is at a prescribed skew angle to the rotational axis; and (2) a retaining structure adjacent to at least a subset of the magnets comprising the plurality of magnets and configured to hold one or more of said subset of magnets in place.