Free Energy Set To Be Unveiled, Law Of Conservation Of Energy Set To Roll Eyes

Just because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office won't even entertain patent applications for perpetual motion devices without working models doesn't mean you need to be as cynical.  Especially when Irish technology firm Steorn is just moments away from giving the world the biggest scientific razzle dazzle in history.

Oil-rich nations are advised to begin learning new marketable skills.

Orbo produces free, clean and constant energy - that is our claim. By free we mean that the energy produced is done so without recourse to external source. By clean we mean that during operation the technology produces no emissions. By constant we mean that with the exception of mechanical failure the technology will continue to operate indefinitely.

And by "produces", we mean "is, like every other device, fundamentally incapable of producing"...

The sum of these claims for our Orbo technology is a violation of the principle of conservation of energy, perhaps the most fundamental of scientific principles.

If I were trying to convince people I'd bottled the holiest of holy grails (can grails be bottled?), I think I'd leave off that last line.  It seems like it risks calling attention to the project's inherent impossibility.

To salve your battered sense of reason, Steorn offers some techy razzmatazz which might keep you from spitting out the hook.

Orbo is based upon the principle of time variant magneto-mechanical interactions. The core output from our Orbo technology is mechanical. This mechanical energy can be converted into electrical energy using standard generator technology either by integrating such technology directly with Orbo or by connecting the mechanical output from Orbo to the generation technology. The efficiency of such mechanical/electrical conversions is highly dependent on the components used and is also a function of size.

Orbo technology is subject to continuous development. This development is focused on improving the manufacturability of the technology, production costs and power density. Orbo was initially developed as using stop-start mechanisms (with a power density of 0.5 Watts per cm³), Steorn is currently finalizing the development of constant motion systems and a significant improvement in power density is anticipated.

Orbo was slated to put on its first public demonstration yesterday, at the Kinetica Museum in East London, but "slight technical difficulties"  forced a one-day postponement.  Steorn's website still claims today is the day, so sit back and brace yourself for a guilt-free summer driving season, a sharp fall-off in the Goracle's relevance, and boundless prosperity for all mankind.  Sadly, the technological singularity should follow soon thereafter, so you'll also want to embrace for some manner of world-ending apocalypse.

Check out the Free Energy Tracker blog for the latest updates.  Or just appeal to that battered sense of reason and predict how this plays out.

---

Update: The Orbo demonstration is incurring some fresh delays, which is flat out flabbergasting.

We are experiencing some technical difficulties with the demo unit in London. Our initial assessment indicates that this is probably due to the intense heat from the camera lighting. We have commenced a technical assessment and will provide an update later today. As a consequence, Kinetica will not be open to the public today (5th July). We apologise for this delay and appreciate your patience.

Still, as tantalizing prologue, you can watch nothing happening on any of four live Kinetica webcams, complete with a snazzy, animated wireframe fly-through.  Just like hackers always have on their screens in real Hollywood movies!