Cool flying device

[Tjalfe]

a friend send me this link:

http://jnaudin.free.fr/lifters/howto.htm

they get a small vehicle flying by just applying voltage.. very cool

[SpiralDragon]

UFOs? ..... i knew it was a conspiracy.. .... well.. atualy it would be nice to own one...

[Chrono_Wanderer]

lol@SD

i was thinking about the same thing, seriously

and eh... 30kV

[Brian Ellis]

Just a little basic physics.

If it is an ionic phenomenon, then it could not possibly work in a vacuum.

The effect must be in relation to voltage gradient i.e., the distance between the electrodes for a given voltage (EMF)

There must be a force generated to defy gravity, therefore energy is consumed. This energy can come only from the capacitor's charge. At the scale shown in the photo, the capacity can be only in the order of picofarads, so that the energy stored, even at 30 kV, will be tiny. The energy in a capacitor =1/2*C*V^2 in watt-seconds, so let's make a large assumption of 100 pF, so the energy would be 0.0450 W.s which is next to bugger-all (comparison: a 60 W bulb alight for 1 second would consume 60 W.s).

As the energy would be consumed to counter gravity, so the capacitor would rapidly discharge.

As an aside, whoever saw a wire carrying 30 kV with such thin insulation as the red one? (compare it with the 25 kV wire clipped on to the side of your TV tube),

Assuming the date of the report is not 1 April, I wouldn't start holding your breath for electrostatic levitation, in the true spirit of advocatus diaboli.

[Paddy]

@ Brian

[DukeP]

This is an old, old horse...

Even with redicolous amounts of voltage, you cant raise anything heavier than 500grams.

I cant remember exactely where I read of the dissection, but its an 200 year old invention.



Btw, it only works in air, and only if its not too wet.


Its charging the water molecules in the air and repelling them, making a slight draft from the antennae (the "vehicle") to the ground.

~~DukeP~~