Creating power out of thin air

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Can't tell without better reportage...

I really couldn't tell from reading this what's going on. I didn't see any claim that they don't need temperature differential!

But lots of things -- not quotes -- were worded in a way that made it seem like you wouldn't need one. You can't really judge the technology when the reporter seems so unacquainted with thermodynamics as to not even ask the questions!

The thing to remember is, that "room temperature" is not a constant, and temperature differentials exist within the room at any one point in time, and temperatures vary with time at any one point in the room.

There is even a torsion-pendulum mechanical clock which exploits this to be perpetually wound.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmos_clock

This doesn't violate the laws of thermodynamics at all. It exploits the energy that is being continually put into and removed from the room, and manages to capture a very small amount of it.

Supposedly, there's a Citizen watch that exploits the temperature differential between the wearer's arm and the ambient air.

So what we can say is that, if this isn't snake oil, it's a very, very small amount of energy that's available in most environments, but it's not quite zero, and it may have applications.

Solving our energy needs, however, is NOT one of them.

Posted by: Bob.Kerns   Posted on: 10/27/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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