Steorn remains dead, but another company called Inductance Energy has taken up their mantle. The similarities are many: a small company founded by an eccentric engineer creates a magnet motor, launches a slick website, and stages a live online demo. The biggest difference so far is that IE’s demo Earth Engine is successfully spinning.
The website doesn’t offer up too much information about their technology, but they claim to be manufacturing and installing commercial engines right now. They’re also actively looking for investors to fund the process of replacing existing energy sources with Earth Engines.
Assuming Steorn had some working technology (a big assumption), is IE’s invention based on the same principles? Or, assuming Steorn was a scam, is IE looking to cash in on the same business model?
One interesting bit of information is found in their FAQs. To the question “Is this a perpetual motion machine?” they respond, “Earth Engine is not a perpetual motion machine. Earth Engine uses the force created from two opposing magnets. Magnets are a depleting resource that requires “recharging” every three years. If the engine is shut down, it will stop rotating the drive system.” This seems to imply that the Earth Engine doesn’t violate the laws of thermodynamics; however, if that were the case, then the energy put into replacing (or recharging) the magnets would need to be greater than or equal to the energy harvested from the machine over the ensuing three years.
After watching them careen off the rails, I’m still suffering from a case of Steorn fatigue. But Inductance Energy at least gives the impression of being a highly professional operation that’s entering production on a potentially world-changing technology that seems to defy the laws of physics. Maybe they’ll succeed where Steorn failed? I can’t help but want to find out.
There are no patents registered in the US, the EU or internationally under the name of “Inductance Energy” (searched both under Applicant Name and Inventor Name). I searched under the names of the people listed on their website, but only Dennis M. Danzik appears to have any patents (all in areas unrelated to the one we’re talking about here).
Bear in mind that they may have applied for patents under a different name, i.e. a different company, and also bear in mind that the words Inductance Energy are pretty generic and come up a lot in patents (this is why it’s pointless to do a full text search, as it turns up thousands of hits). Also bear in mind that I only have about 10 minutes at my disposal.
If there are no patents, then the technology is an industrial secret, like the recipe for Coke. That means we will never, and indeed can never, know how they produce their magnets. This would be extremely unusual in any serious industry: if you have new technology, you patent it as fast as you can, because if you don’t it will be reverse engineered or stolen through industrial espionage, and then you’re screwed.
So, based on the paper trails, my view is that this is horseshit.
Their website is interesting. The team working there seem to be very qualified. They also seem to have made something, i.e. an engine of some kind. So, they seem to believe it. Their premises also seems to be very large. I have to wonder how are they funded so far?
It’s a different prospect to Steorn. But, as with Steorn it’s not explained exactly what they are doing. Trying to generate power from magnets has been tried by many people before. They say they are the first people to harvest this technology for commercial use.
They say they have a ‘commercial earth engine’. Does this mean they will be putting out a product soon? I won’t hold my breath.
They claim that the effect is similar to the “slingshot effect” or gravity assist that enables spacecraft to boost their speed while passing a planet. Also, supposedly they are able to produce a magnet with two poles — one of which is more powerful than the other.
The slingshot effect kind of looks like something for nothing, but there’s no violation of any laws. It just trades a certain amount of momentum from the planet to the spacecraft. The enormous difference in size between the two means that the planet is infinitesimally slowed in its velocity, while the spacecraft’s velocity is considerably boosted.
It’s funny how many of these sorts of things tend to concern magnets. I would file this under “most likely a scam” (to be determined — If the people behind it really believe that it works, or if they’re scammers from the start). Another story to follow for amusement.
Disconcerting that once again it’s proof-by-proxies: a video of a rotor connected to wires which either conduct power from it or to it, quotes from investors proclaiming how well their trial unit runs, and what appears to be an advertorial in the WSJ (every page has the banner “ADVERTISEMENT”). Would be nice to see some electrical engineers and a devious magician given quality time with the unit.
Until then at least it promises to be entertaining, if nothing else.