A self-bearing motor (SBM) is an electric motor with a magnetically integrated bearing function, that is, it can provide levitation and rotation simultaneously as a single actuator. This paper presents the design, operating principle and control system for the slotless self-bearing motor (SSBM). In this design, the stator has no iron core but includes six-phase coils. The rotor consists of a permanent magnet and an enclosed iron yoke. Magnetic forces generated by the interaction between stator currents and the magnetic field of the permanent magnet are used to control the rotational speed and radial position of the rotor. In this paper, the torque and radial bearing forces are analyzed theoretically with the aim to develop an improved control system. In order to confirm the proposed control method, an experimental system was constructed and tested. Simulation and measurement results show that the SSBM can work stably in modes such as start, reverse, rotation load and external radial pulse forces.