Thrust from Microwaves - The Relativity Drive

dfenstrate writes "The latest New Scientist has an article about an engine that exploits relativity and microwaves to generate thrust. There is a working prototype." From the article: "Roger Shawyer has developed an engine with no moving parts that he believes can replace rockets and make trains, planes and automobiles obsolete ... The device that has sparked their interest is an engine that generates thrust purely from electromagnetic radiation — microwaves to be precise — by exploiting the strange properties of relativity. It has no moving parts, and releases no exhaust or noxious emissions. Potentially, it could pack the punch of a rocket in a box the size of a suitcase. It could one day replace the engines on almost any spacecraft. More advanced versions might allow cars to lift from the ground and hover."

a bit more advanced

[User 956]

"The latest New Scientist has an article about an engine that exploits relativity and microwaves to generate thrust.

That sounds a bit more advanced than these two guys [youtube.com], who exploit explosives and a microwave to generate thrust.

Aditional Features

[celardore]

It also warms soup, and is great for reheating food.

attempt #2

[User 956]

Roger Shawyer has developed an engine with no moving parts that he believes can replace rockets and make trains, planes and automobiles obsolete ... The device that has sparked their interest is an engine that generates thrust purely from electromagnetic radiation

Of course, his first effort was to create a drive that ran purely on improbability, but you could never be sure where you'd end up or even what species you'd be when you get there.

'bout damn time I get my flying cars

[grasshoppa]

Seriously, we were supposed to have these things *years* ago. The scientific community should be ashamed of themselves.

( yes, this is a joke )

Re:Forgetting some things?

[jonnyelectronic]

I think you're forgetting that it involves relativity, therefore doesn't need to make sense. Plus I seem to remember that conservation of momentum was a by product of that 4-vector thing, so maybe something funny happens. Maybe.

Oblig comment

[QuantumFTL]

"In this house we obey the Laws of Conservation of Momentum!"

If I managed to figure out something like this..

[QuantumG]

I wouldn't tell anyone. I'd maybe show a few keen investors what my prototype could do, but that's it. Then I'd develop a flying car, a launch vehicle, whatever, and insidiously take over existing markets. "So, SpaceX has made you the best offer for launch services eh? I'll beat it." "What kind of safety guarentees can you give us?" "Err, umm, what kind of safety guarentee is SpaceX giving you, I'll beat it!" "Right.. hmm, ok. You don't even have a rocket do you?" "Look, do you want your satelite in orbit or what?" and so on. That's me though, could be this guy just doesn't have balls that big.

here you go

[Tibor the Hun]

you can have it for free:
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Re:Aditional Features

[ackthpt]

It also warms soup, and is great for reheating food.

Yep. "To the moon, Alice, and don't spare the popcorn!"

Power?

[misleb]

Um, I didn't read TFA, but wouldln't this require a power source? Specifically, eletricity? How does one generate that much wattage? Flux capacitor?

-matthew

Awesome!

[LewsKinslayer]

Now I can have what I've always dreamed of, a flying car with a Phantom game console running Duke Nuke'em Forever on HURD with Copland running in virtualization on a BitBoys Oy Glaze3D graphics system whose driver was programmed in Perl 6 running on top of Parrot!

I love it when dreams come true.

Re:Not possible

[Anne Honime]

Mandatory : "Everybody said it was impossible, then a fool came who didn't knew and made it." It wouldn't be the first time in science history that something happens to work in spite of mathematics, not because maths are wrong per se but because the thing reveals an entirely unknown field of physics.

Rocket the size of a suitcase?

[noidentity]

Potentially, it could pack the punch of a rocket in a box the size of a suitcase.

That seals it. The terrerists could use this, so we must ban all further research!

BAHAHAHAHAHA

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey, guys, while you are at it, I have this idea for an infinate power source! You see, you take an electric motor and you connect the axel to a lot of generators! You see one of the generators would power the motor and you could run the whole world on as many other generators as you tacked on! Use it! My gift to humanity! ;P

Seriously, all this guy is missing is the smoke.

It doesn't matter that one end of the frickin copper has a bigger diameter than the other, the walls are not normal to the surfaces and will absorb any force from the collisions with the photons as well. The 2 normal forces would be equal in each direction and thus would be 0 net force for the system. The only thing that would happen is the can would have a tendency to expand a very small amount more that what could be accounted for by thermal expansion alone at best.

Think about it. Otherwise conical objects would have a tendancy to rocket around on their own because of air pressure.

Re:Slashdot - where science makes no sense (TM)

[kestasjk]

Yet it is precisely the friction between the wheels and road which make a car go forward. Friction with the car wheels is not bad, you need it. Friction with the air is bad, but not the wheels.

I thought it was the exhaust coming out of the back that propelled the car forward.. I mean, if electromagnetic radiation can propel something forward surely gaseos exhaust can?

Re:Slashdot - where science makes no sense (TM)

[naoursla]

Maybe they are just borrowing the momentum from a future frame of reference.

Re:Power?

[R3d M3rcury]

Actually, that was one of my favorite quotes from the article:

It needs a power supply for the magnetron, but there are no moving parts and no fuel - just a cord to plug it into the mains.

So your future hovercar can go anywhere an electric cord can go! :^)

Re:attempt #2

[Jhon]

Heisenberg gets stopped by a cop for speeding.

"Do you have any idea how fast you were going?", asks the cop.

"No. But I know exactly where I am!"

Re:Forgetting some things?

[Anonymous Coward]

>A) Any pressure from the microwaves on the walls.
>B) Conservation of Momentum

Yeah, yeah ... when do I get my flying car?

Re:Save New Scientist!

[Roduku]

Maxwell's treaty on electricity and magnetism...

I didn't know they were fighting

Re:Aditional Features

[rthille]

God damn it! Every time the neighbors hover by in their new car my internet connection goes out!

Re:Aditional Features

[Predius]

Good news everybody, it's also a suppository!

To double the thrust, bend waveguide into U-shape!

[entendre entendre]

I mean, if the key idea is that the force at one end exceeds the force at the other end, why bother with this whole tapering idea? Just bend the tube into a U-shape so that both ends are pointing in the direction of the desired thrust, and you're good to go, with twice the efficiency.

(If that sounds dubious, you can see why I'm skeptical of the premise.)

Re:The blind skepticism here disgusts me

[rasgoo]

A PhD in physics.

Swimming Pool Car

[Nambu]

I have a swimming pool with a tapered bottom. The force on the wall at the deep end is much greater than the force at the shallow end. I drive it around the city all the time. As soon as I can figure out how to turn it upright, I'll be giving free flights to slashdotters and Jerry's Kids.

Where can I locate the anonymous "Air Force visitor" who always gets trotted out as "proof" the inventor isn't a crackpot?

Re:Forgetting some things?

[Quadraginta]

The only problem with this propulsion method is that you need an awful number of photons...

Hmmm, I'd always thought the major problem with matter-annihilation drives was the lack of antimatter deposits in the Earth's crust from which the fuel could be mined...

Re:Save New Scientist!

[iminplaya]

But alas, that's an impossibility of geometry.

If M.C. Escher was alive, he would find a way [mcescher.com].

Re:Forgetting some things?

[evilviper]

Hmmm, I'd always thought the major problem with matter-annihilation drives was the lack of antimatter deposits in the Earth's crust from which the fuel could be mined...

That's the kind of problem I'm happy to have...

Kinda like the problem with solar powered cars is that the sun needs to be much closer...