Are you sure about that? That wouldn't be so mysterious a property at all. It would just be conventional Newtonian propulsion except the matter being accelerated is acted upon by an e-field instead of a thermo-chemical reaction (as in like a jet engine). If it's just an "ion engine", then Nasa has only been proposing use of such devices for long-distance space travel at this point. Making that work for transportation on Earth would be radically more difficult due to increased sources of drag and the transient demands of motion of on-Earth travel (as in, getting through traffic to go to work everyday). It may be no more practical than something that is simply "jet-powered" by chemical means- noise, thrust ending up on the guy behind you, propellent capacity demands, etc...
Yep. Just check the website... there are very few mysterious properties nowadays anyway...
OK, I see how this is panning out now. The detail of the 35 kV and sub-1 amp current really suggests this thing is essentially like that "ion breeze" air cleaner product you get at Sharper Image. So the propellant is the air, and this structure is sort of blowing itself upwards with ionized air. (No, I don't mean "blowing itself", I mean "blowing" itself. Geez, people! )
Now this is somewhat different from a proposal I had read a long time ago that used high voltage and high current. Not just high current as in what comes out of your car battery. I'm talking about absurdly high current that is simply not practical to be carrying around in daily life with present technology.
OK, I see how this is panning out now. The detail of the 35 kV and sub-1 amp current really suggests this thing is essentially like that "ion breeze" air cleaner product you get at Sharper Image. So the propellant is the air, and this structure is sort of blowing itself upwards with ionized air. (No, I don't mean "blowing itself", I mean "blowing" itself. Geez, people! )
Now this is somewhat different from a proposal I had read a long time ago that used high voltage and high current. Not just high current as in what comes out of your car battery. I'm talking about absurdly high current that is simply not practical to be carrying around in daily life with present technology.
Having read about the T.Townsend Brown experiments, he found that his own lifting devices worked more effectively in a vacuum..and the "harder" the vacuum, the better. Ionization/air propelling appears to be the wrong explanation, presuming the Naudin device operates on the Biefeld Brown principle? I shall try to dig up a link.
For more information regarding anti-gravity and lifters, please consult your local crackpot physicist (the one who has a strong fear of sunlight, small dogs, and watermelons, & a huge collection of plasma balls), your neighbors kid (you know, the trekkie who alphabetizes his socks) or your local library.
Having read about the T.Townsend Brown experiments, he found that his own lifting devices worked more effectively in a vacuum..and the "harder" the vacuum, the better. Ionization/air propelling appears to be the wrong explanation, presuming the Naudin device operates on the Biefeld Brown principle? I shall try to dig up a link.
It works in a vacuum? No wonder NASA's interested.
It is physically impossible to scale this technology up to the size of levitating a person. The breakdown of air is at 3 million volts per meter which isn't all that high. Long before you could levitate anyone, you'd have sparks flying and the disappation of your energy into the air with very little thrust.
Then again, Wired never has been known for their ability to check facts. They love to speculate wildly when it comes to science and technology though. Makes for marvelous headlines. That's why I don't subscribe anymore. Such a buzz kill when all the wonderous things you read about the future turn out to be pure bullshit.
Thanks to those with some real knowledge of physics for putting this right.
Also, ion propulsion is no conspiracy, the fastest vehicle ever is a sattelite that's currently orbitting earth, which is powered this way, except it's taken years to reach this speed and is under no friction, so this technology is not much use for anything but long distance space travel.
No one suggested ion propulsion wasn't viable in general, just not viable down here. Me I'm waiting for one of those microfusion or anti-matter propulsion systems so we can travel the solar system in reasonable amounts of time, perhaps beyond. Don't think I'll see any of it though, not unless I live to be 120 or something.
Comments
Originally posted by Randycat99
Are you sure about that? That wouldn't be so mysterious a property at all. It would just be conventional Newtonian propulsion except the matter being accelerated is acted upon by an e-field instead of a thermo-chemical reaction (as in like a jet engine). If it's just an "ion engine", then Nasa has only been proposing use of such devices for long-distance space travel at this point. Making that work for transportation on Earth would be radically more difficult due to increased sources of drag and the transient demands of motion of on-Earth travel (as in, getting through traffic to go to work everyday). It may be no more practical than something that is simply "jet-powered" by chemical means- noise, thrust ending up on the guy behind you, propellent capacity demands, etc...
Yep. Just check the website... there are very few mysterious properties nowadays anyway...
If it is "propellantless", then how can it be "ion propulsion"?
Oh... and the Frank Lloyd Wright apartment would be nice too.
Now this is somewhat different from a proposal I had read a long time ago that used high voltage and high current. Not just high current as in what comes out of your car battery. I'm talking about absurdly high current that is simply not practical to be carrying around in daily life with present technology.
Originally posted by Randycat99
OK, I see how this is panning out now. The detail of the 35 kV and sub-1 amp current really suggests this thing is essentially like that "ion breeze" air cleaner product you get at Sharper Image. So the propellant is the air, and this structure is sort of blowing itself upwards with ionized air. (No, I don't mean "blowing itself", I mean "blowing" itself. Geez, people!
Now this is somewhat different from a proposal I had read a long time ago that used high voltage and high current. Not just high current as in what comes out of your car battery. I'm talking about absurdly high current that is simply not practical to be carrying around in daily life with present technology.
Having read about the T.Townsend Brown experiments, he found that his own lifting devices worked more effectively in a vacuum..and the "harder" the vacuum, the better. Ionization/air propelling appears to be the wrong explanation, presuming the Naudin device operates on the Biefeld Brown principle? I shall try to dig up a link.
Or you could just visit american anti-gravity.
But how fun is that?
Originally posted by sammi jo
Having read about the T.Townsend Brown experiments, he found that his own lifting devices worked more effectively in a vacuum..and the "harder" the vacuum, the better. Ionization/air propelling appears to be the wrong explanation, presuming the Naudin device operates on the Biefeld Brown principle? I shall try to dig up a link.
It works in a vacuum? No wonder NASA's interested.
Then again, Wired never has been known for their ability to check facts. They love to speculate wildly when it comes to science and technology though. Makes for marvelous headlines. That's why I don't subscribe anymore. Such a buzz kill when all the wonderous things you read about the future turn out to be pure bullshit.
Thanks to those with some real knowledge of physics for putting this right.
I was promised flying cars. Where are the flying cars?
Here are your flying cars (really.)
Also, ion propulsion is no conspiracy, the fastest vehicle ever is a sattelite that's currently orbitting earth, which is powered this way, except it's taken years to reach this speed and is under no friction, so this technology is not much use for anything but long distance space travel.
Andrew