Direct Downwind Faster Than The Wind #4 (DDWFTTW)

[Kyuzumaki]

Its very interesting! Though the source of power is the treadmill. It appears to rely on the fact that the wheels of a propellor powered device can rotate independently of the relative airspeed. I.e. an aircraft can take off even when on a treadmill regardless of how fast the treadmill is going.

[spork33]

@didiermisson

>> Bad... false... don't work

A compelling argument indeed. But you're wrong.

[PolluteLessDotCom]

And I am not talking about self-starting (I just saw that video). I would consider the self-starting pretty equal to real life if you self-start as in the video but then turn on the treadmill slowly and turn off the fan at some point (ideally soon).

[PolluteLessDotCom]

Does it work if you put it on a treadmill that does not move and turn the treadmill on slowly? This would be equal to an outside situation. Everything stands still at first. Your demo is equal to the outside scenario of lifting the vehicle of the ground, waiting until the prop is up to speed due to the wind, and then setting it on the road and letting it go. Does it work without this "push"? You may need a really long treadmill though.

Would it work on ice or other low friction surface?

[PolluteLessDotCom]

So there is a gear system that runs the propeller driven by the two bigger wheels when they are moved by the treadmill?

[spork33]

Yes, the prop and wheels are connected by a direct "transmission".

[PolluteLessDotCom]

I would like to see the source of the wind, the direction of that wind, the speed of that wind and the speed of the running mill. It is clearly possible to run a device like this faster than the wind if the wind comes at an angle from the side. There is no data showing wind speed in this video. I cannot see the fan and where it is. What if the fan blows at 30 mph and the treadmill runs at 20mph? How can you make sure that the treadmill and the wind speed are exactly the same? I am not convinced.

[spork33]

There is no fan. The road moves while the air is still. That's our wind.

[eethr]

Gunstick is right.

It's an electric motor with a pulley system, running a propeller. The motor is in the treadmill, the tread and wheels are the pulleys.

What makes it look strange is that the frame which should hold it all together appears to be missing, and that is where gravity comes in to hold the "pulleys" against each other.

The power for the whole thing simply comes from the wall outlet. With an increased pulley ratio, you could probably make the thing rocket across the room!

[spork33]

Yes, the treadmill provides the power, just as the big electric motor provides the power in a wind tunnel, and just as the sun provides the power of the wind outdoors.

[brixbrix]

u now got at fan in europe. Keep up the good work, guys. Don't pay to much attention to crazy people posting skeptic comments (including myself:-)

[1highclassgent]

indeed, nice machine. My only issue with the video is that when demonstrating that it doesn't eventually roll backwards, it looks like it's given a little backward push every time it gets to the top; it looks like might require that push to start it moving uphill. you should have some instrument to restrain it without pushing it back to demonstrate that it doesn't require a backward push to work. vid 7 looks like it merely maintains an equilibrium at the speed of the treadmill, albeit going up.

[spork33]

We have found that despite our efforts to make this as plain as possible, there are an infinite number of concerns to any method of testing, demonstrating, or filming. I have posted plans and parts list so people can build their own, and I expect to make a build video shortly.

[Hankxc]

Imagine the inclined plane of the propeller as a surface that moves BACKWARDS though the air, much like the paddle wheel of a river boat re the river. An air particle on the inclined plane of the propeller actually moves backward relative to the cart, and slower than the wind. This allows the wind to push on the propeller and thus do work on the blade surface. The car moves faster than the wind creating drag, but the power the wind exerts on the propeller may make up for it and then some. HenryB

[Hankxc]

Does this mean we could sail a boat upstream in dead wind using the same principle? I am at a loss. JB!!!! you have to be one of the most brilliant eclectic people on this earth.. what got you into building these confounding machines? I am a physics guy and I cant seem to see how this does or doesnt violate conservation of energy. Any help folks?

Henry B

[Gunstick]

he puts energy into the system by running the threadmill agains gravity.

[froth78]

Yes, in theory you could go up-stream on a river in still air, by using a propeller to push the still air down-stream, powering the propeller from the water flowing under you.

[tautologies]

Spork, that is awesome!!! Posting it on Reddit!!

[davidglover]

Its Magnets - Right!!! Nice job JB/Rick

[spork33]

Magnets is so "2 hours ago". This thing uses a unique combination of cold-fusion along with a gyroscopic rectifier. But don't tell the big oil companies. They'll either buy us off, kill us, or both.

[adamp]

That is awesome. What a trip!

I'm sold.

[sp4jx7]

hey look there's a window fan just off camera to the left, blowing on it... /UnTuck

[spork33]

D'OH!  You're onto our scam : (

NOT!!!

[ricglas]

Love your work Spork.

[spork33]

Thanks. This particular video was done for my partner in crime (JB) who is responding to one of the latest in a long line of people that claim this can't be done and that we're somehow scam artists. The last comment is in response to this guy sarcastically calling him "genius".