Well, I've just wasted an hour of my life watching this charlatan/deluded idiot (can't decide which) and trawling through numerous science, business and engineering web sites.
Conclusion: The laws of physics - 1 : Energy from nowhere - 0
I'm no electrical engineer, so I can't pull apart all his flim-flam on those videos, but some bits made even me go "HUH?" - eg, he attempts to "prove" that there are no hidden energy inputs by filming the device with a thermal camera because: "everything that has electricity in it will show heat". I've heard better patter from stage magicians.
I could spend hours transcribing the many many ways that competent and qualified people have demolished this crap, but I'll restrict myself to just a few points.
1. Their own invited of jury of scientific experts spent 2 years analysing the device and the data and came to the conclusion that it doesn't work:
"In August 2006 the Irish company Steorn published an advertisement in the Economist announcing the development of "a technology that produces free, clean and constant energy". Qualified experts were sought to form a "jury" to validate these claims.
Twenty-two independent scientists and engineers were selected by Steorn to form this jury. It has for the past two years examined evidence presented by the company. The unanimous verdict of the Jury is that Steorn's attempts to demonstrate the claim have not shown the production of energy. The jury is therefore ceasing work.
The jury consists of scientists and engineers in relevant fields from Europe and North America, from industry, universities and government laboratories."
2. Many people have tried to replicate the motor, but nobody has succeeded. This is a defining part of the notion of scientific proof - it only demonstrates something if it can be replicated.
3. IT'S GOT A FUCKING BATTERY IN IT! Conversely it has no meters showing power in or power out, and we're asked to take it on trust that the battery is being constantly recharged by the surplus energy.
4. It all seems arse about face: He says on the video that they are not a scientific research institute but a "propellerhead company" (he deserves shooting for that goddawful jargon on it's own!
); He says that the technology "has real uses", but only if other companies come along and "push it into the real world"; and that the scientists can "come along and develop theories later". So where did the idea come from, the pissing fairies?
5. From Wiki: "Eric Berger, writing on the Houston Chronicle website, commented: "Steorn is a former e-business company that saw its market vanish during the dot.com bust. It stands to reason that Steorn has re-tooled as a Web marketing company, and is using the "free energy" promotion as a platform to show future clients how it can leverage print advertising and a slick Web site to promote their products and ideas."
6. And here's the money shot: From ZDnet UK (a business and technology site): "The other big announcement is the Steorn Knowledge Development Base, which is a developer programme that costs €419 to join and gives its members access to information and a licence to use the technology for personal non-commercial use. In exchange, Steorn appears to get all the rights to anything developed for ever and for nothing" KA-CHING, thankewverymuch.
I sometimes wonder if the internet is decreasing the sum total of knowledge rather than increasing it. From perpetual motion, to evolution and climate change, people seem unable to differentiate between open-mindedness and slack-jawed gullibility; and everybody reckons that a bit of reading on the net makes them as qualified as someone who has degrees and years of actual experience in a given field. I really do despair that we're sliding into a dark-age of superstition and snake-oil science.
Conclusion: The laws of physics - 1 : Energy from nowhere - 0
I'm no electrical engineer, so I can't pull apart all his flim-flam on those videos, but some bits made even me go "HUH?" - eg, he attempts to "prove" that there are no hidden energy inputs by filming the device with a thermal camera because: "everything that has electricity in it will show heat". I've heard better patter from stage magicians.
I could spend hours transcribing the many many ways that competent and qualified people have demolished this crap, but I'll restrict myself to just a few points.
1. Their own invited of jury of scientific experts spent 2 years analysing the device and the data and came to the conclusion that it doesn't work:
"In August 2006 the Irish company Steorn published an advertisement in the Economist announcing the development of "a technology that produces free, clean and constant energy". Qualified experts were sought to form a "jury" to validate these claims.
Twenty-two independent scientists and engineers were selected by Steorn to form this jury. It has for the past two years examined evidence presented by the company. The unanimous verdict of the Jury is that Steorn's attempts to demonstrate the claim have not shown the production of energy. The jury is therefore ceasing work.
The jury consists of scientists and engineers in relevant fields from Europe and North America, from industry, universities and government laboratories."
2. Many people have tried to replicate the motor, but nobody has succeeded. This is a defining part of the notion of scientific proof - it only demonstrates something if it can be replicated.
3. IT'S GOT A FUCKING BATTERY IN IT! Conversely it has no meters showing power in or power out, and we're asked to take it on trust that the battery is being constantly recharged by the surplus energy.
4. It all seems arse about face: He says on the video that they are not a scientific research institute but a "propellerhead company" (he deserves shooting for that goddawful jargon on it's own!
); He says that the technology "has real uses", but only if other companies come along and "push it into the real world"; and that the scientists can "come along and develop theories later". So where did the idea come from, the pissing fairies?5. From Wiki: "Eric Berger, writing on the Houston Chronicle website, commented: "Steorn is a former e-business company that saw its market vanish during the dot.com bust. It stands to reason that Steorn has re-tooled as a Web marketing company, and is using the "free energy" promotion as a platform to show future clients how it can leverage print advertising and a slick Web site to promote their products and ideas."
6. And here's the money shot: From ZDnet UK (a business and technology site): "The other big announcement is the Steorn Knowledge Development Base, which is a developer programme that costs €419 to join and gives its members access to information and a licence to use the technology for personal non-commercial use. In exchange, Steorn appears to get all the rights to anything developed for ever and for nothing" KA-CHING, thankewverymuch.
I sometimes wonder if the internet is decreasing the sum total of knowledge rather than increasing it. From perpetual motion, to evolution and climate change, people seem unable to differentiate between open-mindedness and slack-jawed gullibility; and everybody reckons that a bit of reading on the net makes them as qualified as someone who has degrees and years of actual experience in a given field. I really do despair that we're sliding into a dark-age of superstition and snake-oil science.
