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Scientists use battery tech to harvest energy from movement
The idea of getting free energy from activities we do every day, like walking, has proven to be a pipe dream -- not that companies haven't tried. However, MIT scientists have tapped a new way to generate energy from bending that could actually make it feasible. Rather than using mechanical piezoelectric devices, the team developed new materials based on electrochemical, battery-like technology. When bent back and forth, they generated alternating current power with a surprising amount of efficiency, meaning you could one day tap your own kinetic energy to power devices.
Freevolt generates power from thin air
What you see above may look like an unremarkable slice of electronics, but it can theoretically power a low-energy device forever, and for free. If that sounds like a big deal, well... that's because it is. Drayson Technologies today announced Freevolt, a system that harvests energy from radio frequency (RF) signals bouncing around in the ether and turns it into usable, "perpetual power." Drayson isn't exactly a household name, but the research and development company has a particular interest in energy, especially where all-electric racing is concerned. And now it's developed the first commercial technology that literally creates electricity out of thin air.
The Engadget Show 37: Halloween Spooktacular with Wayne Coyne, movie monsters and ghost hunting!
Welcome boys and ghouls, to a very spooky episode of The Engadget Show. We've got plenty of tricks and treats for you in this Halloweentastic October episode. We kick things off with a trip to Oklahoma City, to the home of Flaming Lips frontman, Wayne Coyne, who talks Parking Lot Experiments, Halloween displays and why if your phone screen isn't broken, you aren't living your life. Next up, we'll show you all the necessary tools for a proper ghost hunt, with a little help from author Mary Roach, Ghost Hunters' Adam Berry and the crew of the Central NY Ghost Hunters. In Vermont, we have a conversation with robot head Bina48 to find out what it really means to be alive and we travel to Los Angeles to talk to movie makeup Wizard Kevin Yagher and the costume experts at Global Effects Inc. And when the Engadget Van breaks down outside of an electronics store, it's up to Tim, Brian and rock band, Free Energy, to solve a very spooky mystery. All that plus a new Ask @hodgman and a gadget table featuring the new iPod touch, Kindle Paperwhite and Galaxy Note II from Dapper Cadaver, our favorite place to buy prop corpses in the Southern California area. Jump on in after the break -- if you dare!%Gallery-168911% Hosts: Brian Heater, Jordan Morris, Tim Stevens Guests: Wayne Coyne, Mary Roach, Kevin Yagher, Adam Berry, Chris Gilman, Jesse Thorn, John Hodgman, Bruce Duncan, Stacey Jones, BJ Winslow Musical Guest: Free Energy Producer: Ben Harrison Executive Producers: Brian Heater, Joshua Fruhlinger Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 037 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 037 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show - 037 (Small) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (MP4). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (MP4). [RSS MP4] Add the Engadget Show feed (MP4) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically. [HD RSS] Get the Engadget Show delivered automatically in HD. [iPad RSS] Get the Engadget Show in iPad-friendly adaptive format.
Georgia Tech engineers pull energy out of atmospheric hat, go on electromagnetic scavenger hunt
Mankind's about to plunge into the depths of a wireless sensor-powering ether binge -- braincell annihilating vapors not included. Spearheaded by Georgia Institute of Technology's professor Manos Tentzeris and his engineering team, this ambient energy scavenging tech harnesses electromagnetic frequencies in the 100MHz - 15GHz range -- anything from your FM car radio to radar -- and converts it into a useable DC power source. So, it's free energy -- kind of. The cheap, self-powering paper or flexible polymer-based sensors are created using standard inkjet printers and Tentzeris' "unique in-house recipe" of circuit-building silver nanoparticles. Current testing hasn't yet yielded significant enough wattage to power your PS3 Slim, but it could soon via the help of supercapacitors and future solar cell integration. Imagine clothing embedded with health-monitoring biometric sensors, airport security run by something other than aloof TSA agents, or even spoilage-aware drink cartons -- milk that tells you when it's gone sour. The invisible radio band-charged possibilities are endless, but with storage still in the microwatt to one milliwatt range, it's more concept than solid vaporware reality.
Steorn peddles Orbo development kit, snake oil optional
With Steorn's track record, you'd think that the company wouldn't be in such a hurry to put its "free energy" technology under a microscope. Then again, maybe once it has your €399 (roughly $550) your thoughts on the subject really aren't that important anyways. Regardless, we're a wee bit skeptical of anyone who claims to have made a miraculous scientific breakthrough, refuses to explain said scientific breakthrough, and then asks you to cut them a check. But maybe you're a more trustworthy type: In that case, to build an Orbo device for yourself and access to the Steorn Knowledge Development Base, hit the source link. But don't say we didn't warn you.
Steorn livestream to settle the case for overunity once and for all... or something like that
Once again, Steorn promises to finally prove that free, clean, and constant energy can be produced by its Orbo technology -- principle of the conservation of energy be damned! -- on a webcast this upcoming Saturday. Of course, they might have similarly proven their point during a previous web event... or maybe they haven't. At this point, we've heard so many outlandish claims that we're having a hard time keeping 'em straight, but we've never been one to turn down a gratis comedy show after a hard day's night. Tune in if you find yourself in the mood for a chuckle. Or don't. Chances are you won't miss much anything.
Steorn Orbo livestream begins: Look, fairies!
We're not going to spend any more time on this than absolutely necessary. After all, Steorn's claims haven't changed a bit in the three years since the histrionics began. But we will point you to Steorn's live free energy demonstration so that you can ponder for yourselves how Orbo "uses magnets to gain energy" on a trio of live cams. If you look closely, you might even see a leprechaun dancing after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Steorn invites us to 'get real' with fairy-powered Orbo free energy device, we invite it to do the same (video)
Oh, Steorn, how we've missed you. The company rushed onto the scene in the summer of 2007 promising free energy for all, then said "we screwed up" when its demonstration failed to show anything but red faces. Naturally the screw-up wasn't thanks to an ill-advised attempt to break the laws of physics, instead blamed on a bearing failure. Now, coffers filled again after assuredly brisk sales of USB-powered divining rods, the company has rented another demonstration space, this time in Dublin. In the promotional video below Steorn pledges that this week things will "get real" by mocking those who have mocked the company, including our very own reference to power divined from the Fay and other mythical sources. We're going to firmly stand by our disbelief -- but to say that we're jazzed about the prospect of another exciting demonstration would be a huge understatement. [Thanks, Chris]
Steorn returns, promises to open Orbo specs, give you a pony
The last time we heard from Steorn, the company had just joined a long line of optimistic but doomed people and companies unable to actually demo free-energy tech when put the test -- and although the Orbo didn't actually do anything, CEO Sean McCarthy promised us that we'd eventually get a working demo with physical access to the device. Well, it's over a year later, and Steorn's back -- with no demo in sight. Shocking! Instead, the company's selling SteornLab testing equipment to other organizations working on magic fairy-power rotary and magnetic systems, and it's also got plans to sell something called "ZeroF passive magnetic bearings" later this year -- we'd assume ZeroF means "zero friction," which is nicely impossible and totally in line with basically everything Steorn stands for. To convince you that this isn't all an elaborate sham, Steorn's also setting up the "SKDB," a knowledge base containing all the secrets of the Orbo, which will initially be open to 300 engineers and then sometime later to the general public. This, of course, sounds like an elaborate sham. Here's a hint, guys -- instead of the cheesy video of people sitting around talking about the Orbo, maybe shoot a video of it actually producing more power than it uses. Or, you know, admit the truth. Whatever works for you.[Thanks, Yury]
Archer Quinn calls it quits: "You may have been able to prevent the straw from falling, maybe not."
With another steaming pile of cryptic sayings, Archer Quinn is officially bidding his all-too-entertaining free energy project farewell. From what we can gather, he's decided that the problem of free energy is really too simple to warrant his time and effort -- we're all "monkeys" who let The Man keep us down with Newton's outdated laws of physics. "You look but you do not see, you hear but you do not listen. Your planet is crap because you are all monkeys." Can't argue with that logic. Farewell Archer, our time spent attempting to decipher your cryptic sayings was cut all too short. Please start a blog.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Archer Quinn documenting his free energy project, descent into madness
Archer Quinn promised the world a working demonstration of his homemade free energy device called the "Sword of God" by June 20th, but it looks like we're getting a sneak peek a little early: Quinn's detailing the build on his blog, and it's just about as pigs-in-trousers insane as you'd expect. It's hard to even pick one quote as an example here -- Quinn rails on about how he destroyed his first machine because he didn't want Arab nations to starve without oil money but then a picture of Dubai's opulence changed his mind, how "gravity wheels" are perpetual motion machines, how Nikola Tesla presented BS theories, how Australian Nazis are reading his email, and on and on. Most importantly, however, he continues to update on how his project is going. We're not sure if he's done yet or what (it's not exactly easy to follow) but it looks like something's ready -- anyone want to bet if it works? We also have a very nice bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.[Thanks, Curt]
Another "free energy" crazy surfaces, promises solution to all world ills by June 20th
See that scary man? That there is Archer Quinn, self-proclaimed savior of mankind. He's prepping a free energy device that he plans to unveil on June 20th of this year, on which date he predicts "the oil reign and those who governed by their money and crushed the people by the taxes and control of the most basic of needs shall be put down for all time." Yeah, pretty wild stuff. And if that wasn't enough, he's decided to nickname his gravity-based device the "Sword of God." His prior experience involves some sort of "thermal accelerator" (pictured) and a myriad of other inventions, so he doesn't seem to think breaking Newton's laws should be much of a problem. Guess it won't take long to find out. This should be a fun one. [Thanks Chris; via FE Truth]
EcoWatts "free energy" device rebuffed, BBC falls for it
EcoWatts and its fake free energy gadget is back in the limelight again, with the BBC Breakfast Show falling hook, line, and sinker in an interview with the company's "CEO" Paul Calver. Calver stated that "we're still getting to the question of why it works," explaining to a BBC presenter his bewilderment at his very own creation. The response from the interviewer? "The point is it does." Unfortunately, the point is that it almost certainly doesn't. Ben Goldacre used his excellent Bad Science Guardian column this week to dig up some dirt on the dodgy company, and managed to find a scientist who gave his stamp of approval to a similar free energy gadget four years back: "Using the apparatus provided, it's true, this scientist could get incredible results: the meters would read zero, and yet water would boil in around five minutes. Because the meters provided weren't working." The company that provided this former gadget along with the "broken" meters? EcoWatts.
Steorn redux: more mad "scientists" tout free energy gadget
We don't want to take this seriously, so we won't. Another company has claimed to have produced a device that produces more energy than is put in, which --we shouldn't have to tell you -- is impossible. The Daily Mail is the dumb -- but actually kinda clever, 'cause they'll get lots of readers, and they don't mind bending the truth -- deliverer this time, adding some kind of twisted authority to the "news." The company behind the free publicity is called EcoWatts, who are apparently keen to sell their £1,500-2,000 white tube thing to homeowners, with the aim of reducing their electricity bill (and not solving all the world's energy problems in one fell swoop, apparently.) Altogether now: "ughhh."[Thanks, Alan]
Steorn teases with a reveal date: Friday, April 13th
We're going to try and not read too much into this whole Friday the 13th date, and just give you the straight facts: Steorn promises to be "releasing the update on the Jury process and so on" of its seemingly first-law-of-thermodynamics-denying Orbo "free energy" product on April 13th. Steorn has been promising technical information about the invention and jury results for a while now, originally saying "first quarter" 2007. So if we use our imaginations -- as we apparently are exercising to the fullest to even entertain Steorn's Orbo claims -- we can just pretend April 13th is still Q1 and sit tight for the (hopefully) big reveal.[Via Steorn Orbo, thanks Phil]
