At last FREE power

Guys in Dublin have finally cracked it...or have they?

[giggle]

This is an interesting challange...

An engineering team in Dublin reckon they have cracked the perpetual motion puzzler! (I know, but what they're challanging is interesting).

A team a Steorn [steorn.net] are giving scientists until 8th September to disprove what they claim is, in effect, a perpetual motion device!

Read more about it here [dailymail.co.uk].

Well, what do you think?

[ska_demon]

I am a Physicist by qualification and therefore have had the laws of conservation of energy drummed into me from day 1.

However, IMO that doesn't mean that these laws cannot be broken. In the old days it was common medical practice to drill a hole in your skull to relieve a headache!

These laws have been around for a long time and no one has yet broken them. It is hard for me to believe that energy can be created from nothing when the laws state that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed or dissipated.

I really hope these guys are on to something. It will make a massive change to the way the world is. Imagine, no more wars in the name of humanity. (read oil) Imagine a world without pollution, nuclear waste, oil slicks, the halt of global warming etc etc.

Go Ireland, prove me and every other scientist wrong!

Ska

[andyll]

In essence, Steorn claims that by setting up a series of magnetic fields in a certain way, and moving a magnetic object through the field, you get an energy 'kick', apparently from nowhere.

Why do I feel that the cost of moving the object will be greater then the 'energy kick' they get in return.

Since they feel they cannot patent the idea it makes no sense to publicize it until they have a commercial application.

But they have filed patents for constituent parts of the device.

So maybe the publicity will help them license those patents to people hoping to duplicate their 'device'?

Sure beats working for a living.

Andy

[percentages]

>Well, what do you think?

I think it is a load of #*$!! But, they choose to only provide 8 days to prove otherwise.....LMAO!

I don't seem to remember Einstein saying to the scientific community you only have 8 days to prove E doesn't equal MC2!

So.....back to square one.....I think it is a load of #*$!!

Now for my next trick....can you find the lady ;)........LMAO!

[abbeyvet]

only provide 8 days to prove otherwise

I think the 8 days is until the closing date for application to test the device, not for actually testing it.

That said, I don't believe it. The notion of energy being created is a bridge too far, the laws of energy too deeply ingrained in my brain.

Plus they have set up a forum that is populated by crazy people and conspiracy theorists of the worst kind, which does the credibility of the whole thing no good at all.

[bird]

While by principle, it might be conceivable that the laws of thermodynamics can be circumvented, it certainly doesn't seem very likely. To the very least, it would dramatically accelerate the heat death of the known universe... ;)

[DamonHD]

Hi,

My brother used to work at the European Patent Office, and for some reason (maybe he got the category "misc" to look after) he had the job of explaining as gently as possible to perpertual-motion (aka free-energy, free-lunch, 1/0=inf, etc) patent applicants that while he would examine their patent in the normal way if they wanted him to, they'd probably do much better keeping their money rather than challenge the pretty-rock-solid laws of thermodynamics!

Rgds

Damon

[lammert]

As a physicist, I wouldn't say that a perpetual motion machine is impossible under all circumstances. As long as the sum of energy stays constant, it is all within existing laws. The magnetical kick-effect as they have seen may cause a simultaneous decrease in temperature of components for example. The components are reheated by the air to room temperature which is then the real source of the energy.

This is however just speculation and I am on the sceptic side on this type of machines. Most discoveries, changes and additions of the laws of physics were done in the following sequence:

observation -> theory -> hypothesis -> experiment -> conclusion

All perpetual motion machines I know start with an experiment without any backing theory. If there were a theory, the experiment could be tested and repeated by independent others, no patent office would have problems accepting it.

[TravelSite]

Just to add a wee bit to this ... a lot of folk on the net are assuming that it's a marketing gimmick to promote Halo 3 - apparently the logos and typefaces used on the site are similar (I've never actually played any of the Halo games).

It's not been given any time by the bbc news site either - couldn't find any mention of it.

If so it's a very sick form of marketing - the concept of freely generated energy would turn the world upside down and give hope to many living in less than ideal conditions.

[trillianjedi]

very sick form of marketing

It's brilliant, but extremely risky. It could seriously backfire on them.

Whatever is being launched on September 8th better be damn good. If it's an energy product, and released along the lines of:-

"OK, oh dear our pertpetual motion machine doesn't actually work, but look at this"

.... then I think they'll just end up irritating the scientific community, and you need those guys on side.

If it is a computer game (or similar) then brilliant - irritating the scientific community would be a fantastic move ;)

We'll find out soon enough....

TJ

[TravelSite]

It's both (sick & brillant - if not true) ;)

[edited by: TravelSite at 1:19 pm (utc) on Aug. 30, 2006]

[MrStitch]

....There are two scientific discoveries which, everyone agrees, would not only change the world for ever but would also make their discoverers rich beyond the dreams of Croesus, or even Bill Gates.

Set aside the physics part and read the opening line. Should they discover free energy, they blatently state 'they'd be rick as all hell'.

Present day market states that prices are no longer set at what the product/service is worth in relation to cost... the price is set at 'what people will pay'. And thats true in every product accross the planet.

So, would it change the world? No. We'd just get our power from a different source.. but i'd bet my paycheck that I'd have to PAY for it somehow... and the cost will be very similar to what i'm paying right now.

Also, the only reason this is getting any publicity is the fact that they spent so much money on advertising... Which tells me that they're looking for investors to rip off.

I guess I'd still like to find out what happens tho. Just for human curiosity. =)

[pmkpmk]

I can't find any similarity to the "Halo" game. Only the favicon looks a very little bit similar.

[xbox.com...]
[steorn.net...]

[ann]

OK, so what did they come up with?

[mcavic]

This is an exciting and worthy topic for study, and I think there might be something there. It sounds dubious the way it's described in the article. But if I set out on the task of producing free energy, I can think of two or three good starting points.

We are currently preparing for Phase 1. We will soon finalise arrangements with the registered scientists and engineers and announce our timeline for implementation of Phase 1.

[jecasc]

In essence, Steorn claims that by setting up a series of magnetic fields in a certain way, and moving a magnetic object through the field, you get an energy 'kick', apparently from nowhere.

Well "apparently". Not knowing yet where the energy comes from does not mean that there is not such a thing as an energy source. And if it's only thermal energy (ambient air temperature) that provides it in someway. Even if the device is somehow tapping energy from another dimension it would be spectacular but not a perpetuum mobile.

[On the other hand. Is not the whole universe a perpetuum mobile?]

[Lovejoy]

Who knows, anything is possible. It could be using any number of available sources we don't yet understand. Similar things happen with sources of energy we know work, like stirling engined fans which uses hot air to work a reverse refrigeration cycle to spin the blade or one of those bimetallic piezo electric fans that uses the heat of a wood stove to spin the blade. There are probably enough magnetic/radio wave flying about now you could use that energy if you could boost it enough.
Tesla ( father of the AC current) did some pretty wierd things with it, much of it died with him.

[JudgeJeffries]

Its the non internet form of linkbait which raises a company profile.

[Liane]

I'm on the "I hope it works" side of the argument. I have never believed much of anything was impossible and believe that man himself is his own worst enemy when it comes to our shared "beliefs".

Laws are only laws until they are disproved.

An atom cannot be split ...
Earth is flat ...
Pluto is a planet ...
How about the law of Entropy ...

Many so called "laws" have been proven inaccurate. It just takes that one guy who says, "Well lookey here ... see what I just discovered!"

The earth and planets are in perpetual motion. Why is it that scientists believe "man made" perpetual motion isn't possible? Hogwash!

[Liane]

Sorry ... dup posting. My hand twitched!

[edited by: Liane at 5:29 pm (utc) on Sep. 9, 2006]

[mcavic]

The earth and planets are in perpetual motion.

Interesting point. Here's another one: when you use induction to generate electricity, the electricity, in a way, comes from nowhere. It's composed of electrons that already exist in the wire, but only need to be stimulated into moving.

[texasville]

>>>>but i'd bet my paycheck that I'd have to PAY for it somehow... and the cost will be very similar to what i'm paying right now.<<<<

You said it brudder!

[bird]

The earth and planets are in perpetual motion

Actually no, that motion is continuously slowing down, caused by friction against interplanetary particles. Each earth year takes a little bit longer than the previous one because of that (by a fraction of a second, if I remember correctly).

[Liane]

Each earth year takes a little bit longer than the previous one because of that (by a fraction of a second, if I remember correctly).

Well, yes ... if you want to takethe argument to the nth degree, you are correct and the poster who said that the sun will eventually burn out is also correct. But for all intents and purposes and unless there is a cataclysmic disaster in the next million years or so ... the Earth and the planets may be considered to be in a state of perpetual motion.