http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/ Engadget Comments for NASA's robot submarine achieves perpetual motion, of a sort http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 5:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 5:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 5:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 5:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 9:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Hence why they said "...of a sort."]]>Apr 28th 2010 10:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 11:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/
There is no humor in physics either, it's pretty obvious that the use of "perpetual motion" here is a joke of a sorts and Engadget is not a physics textbook of sorts so get over yourself of sorts.]]>Apr 28th 2010 2:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Wouldn't this thing eventually stop? It seems like at some point it would find a 'steady state', a point between the surface and depth and roughly just sit there.]]>Apr 28th 2010 4:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 5:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/
exactly! not the silly drinking bird. its got a lava lamp for a generator. oh that's clever, that is.]]>Apr 28th 2010 6:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/
Yeah I mean perpetual motion is completely impossible.

It's like saying the "lava" in a lava lamp's movement will power a generator that powers the light to make the lava move. It just isn't possible in any way... there is always an external source for energy.]]>Apr 28th 2010 6:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Except of course not only is perpetual motion possible, but perpetual motion is unavoidable. Everything in the universe is in continuous motion, and the all permeating fundamental forces, even if weak over large distances ensure that everything is kept in motion (not to mention all that quantum foam and the problems with actually being certain about motion). In fact the impossibility of building perfect barriers to the forces is the reason all energy eventually leaks out of a 'perpetual motion machine' - in effect 'perpetual motion machines' of the sort we imagine because everything is in perpetual motion. Sure as the universe expands all the energy should be getting spread out and cooler, and all the order of that energy should be continuously degenerating towards an average entropic milieu of meh, allowing less and less useful work to be done, but that's another bedtime story. The moral is the universe is the unending and frustrating perpetual motion machine of doom.]]>Apr 28th 2010 7:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 5:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 6:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 6:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 6:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 6:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 6:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/
It takes cold water into its spermaceti organ causing the wax to harden and helping it to dive easier. The whale's own movement and activity causes the wax to melt over time and helps it to resurface.

No oil or generator involved in this case, but it still seems like the whales must have been an inspiration for this tech.]]>Apr 29th 2010 12:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 6:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/Apr 28th 2010 7:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/nasas-robot-submarine-achieves-perpetual-motion-of-a-sort/As fijosh said there is no "sort of" in physics. By your reasoning I'm sort of immortal, except for the fact I'll die eventually.]]>Apr 28th 2010 1:36PM