Propulsion-less Space Travel?

[Serendipity]

What am I missing in this video?
Groundbreaking 'Fuel-less' Propulsion System Announced.

 

[THX1138]

Electromagnetic or Ion Drive? I'll take Ion Drive, once in space.

Electromagnetic propulsion is a nice idea and might have potential. But how would one overcome Earths electromagnetic field if used as liftoff?

Sounds like an Electromagnetic-Anti Grav Drive. How much electric energy would you need to accomplish this?

 

[Serendipity]

I'm been digging... I've found this article that gives rather more detail about this fuel-less propulsion systems... Propulsion Breakthrough... it beats me why there's not more news coverage about this, given what this is saying.

 

[hitmouse]

It might be bad journalism, but this kind of statement worries me in terms of thermodynamics, Newtonian physics, etc:
“a patented new propulsion technology that requires no fuel or ejection-mass to produce thrust.”

 

[Orcadian]

What am I missing in this video?
Groundbreaking 'Fuel-less' Propulsion System Announced.

If it violates the very-well-understood laws of physics (laws of motion, thermodynamics, energy and momentum conservation), there is a logical or measurement flaw somewhere. Every few years something like this is announced but it always either fails to perform under strict laboratory conditions or when tested by other groups, or it produces results at the 2- or 3-sigma level, i.e. that are not statistically significant.

But if it lets SF writers send ships to other galaxies, let's build 'em.

 

[Foxbat]

The way I see it, the patent explains the use of electrostatic pressure so he, effectively, would be using a giant capacitor for propulsion. Although he might not need fuel, I think he'd need a hell of a lot of electricity to produce this effect. I think this wiki on how an electrostatic speaker works might help us understand how it could be used to generate propulsion. Whether it would be a practical solution for space travel seems doubtful to me.

Electrostatic loudspeaker - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Bick]

I'm putting my interstellar generation ship money on either quantum foam or vacuum energy.

 

[Oligonicella]

The way I see it, the patent explains the use of electrostatic pressure so he, effectively, would be using a giant capacitor for propulsion. Although he might not need fuel, I think he'd need a hell of a lot of electricity to produce this effect. I think this wiki on how an electrostatic speaker works might help us understand how it could be used to generate propulsion. Whether it would be a practical solution for space travel seems doubtful to me.

Electrostatic loudspeaker - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The speaker uses a membrane. The electric fields move the membrane. The membrane pounds against air. There is no direct transfer of the electrostatic force to the air. And, even if it were directly moving the air back and forth - - - there's air. No air in space.

The "propulsion" system needs to explain how it accomplishes the transfer of force to the vehicle at large, the vast bulk of which will have nothing to do with generating electrostatic fields.

The article linked above by Serendipity comes across very much like a sales pitch (and the video at bottom confirms they're looking for investors for research). Sorry, but investors first is the hallmark of a scheme, especially concerning "a new form of energy".

Right now, I place this alongside "cold fusion".