Category Archives: Applications

Proposed applications for gravity-like fields across products, architecture, processes and services.

gmod and global sea levels

Applications

While waiting for the long-promised joint paper by Dröscher and Häuser a thought occurred about how gMOD might help resolve one of the most serious long-term threats of global warming… sea level rise and the displacement of tens of millions of people living in coastal communities.

The Greenland Ice Sheet is the second largest body of ice on the planet, surpassed only by the Antarctic Ice Sheet. It contains 2.85 million cubic kilometers of ice and is steadily losing that water through melting. It might take a couple of hundred years for the ice sheet to melt if global warming continues to increase at its current rate, but if it does the level of the oceans could rise more than twenty-three and a half feet (over seven meters).

The Greenland Ice Sheet splits off and falls into the ocean at glacial outlets by a process known as “calving”. Loss of volume of the sheet has increased to 220 cubic kilometers per year.

If an implementation of gMOD can be developed that is capable of both propulsion and the ability to hoist massive amounts of weight and volumes of material, then one of the first pragmatic… and necessary… applications on Earth might be the mining of the Greenland Ice Sheet to remove the global threat posed by the melting portions of the ice sheet.

Rather than letting the glaciers melt or calve into the ocean the face of the glaciers would be mined for their ice by a technique that might best be termed as “glacial face mining”, or GFM. The natural process of calving would accelerated but the mined ice would not contribute to the rise in sea levels.

The ice would be removed to areas of the globe in need of fresh water to irrigate fields, to replenish watersheds, or to refill lakes. Some of the chunks of ice could also be buried to insulate them from rapid melting, much as how kettles were formed naturally by retreating glaciers.

Similar plans to hoist tons of forestry products have been proposed using dirigibles, though the tonnages involved in mining ice sheets would be more comparable to that of mountain top removal or open pit mining. However the outcomes of glacial mining would have a much more beneficial impact on the world.

Field effects

Applications, Theory

Hauser and Droscher’s suggested reconfiguration of Tajmar’s original “Gravito Magnetic Experiment” (often abbreviated “GME”) to one that provides propulsive fields (GME 2) for flight represents only one potential field effect of gravity modification. In a cover story on Dr. Tajmar in New Scientist magazine. Tajmar said, “Levitating cars, zero-g playgrounds, tractor beams to pull objects towards you, glass-less windows that use repulsive fields to prevent things passing through. Let your imagination run riot: a gravitomagnetic device that works by changing the acceleration and orientation of a superconductor would be the basis for a general- purpose force field.”

Tajmar has also suggested the potential of building zero-g simulators on Earth, but since these and other effects are not propulsive how do we describe this new vocabulary of non-propulsive field effects from gravity modification?

Tajmar is not the first to describe various gravity field effects. Inventor Marcus Hollingshead suggested there were seven categories of fields in his interviews with Tim Ventura of American Antigravity. Though Hollingshead’s claims remain unsubstantiated, some of his designations can be instructive. This blogger wrote of potential applications of Hollingshead’s fields in OhmyNews, but it is time to revisit them in light of Tajmar’s foreshadowing of useful gravitomagnetic fields related to his discovery.

Glossary of Field Terms

The field names suggested here are purely descriptive and are yet to be demonstrated:

Propulsion – “Propulsive” motion of a device generating a gMOD field
Thrust – “Push” force on an object at a distance
Traction – “Pull” force on an object at a distance
Standing – “Shield” force pushing radially outward
Membrane – “Containing” force acting as a bubble
Shearing – “Cutting” and punching force
Suppression – “Constraining” force on liquids and motion of particles
Optical – “Lensing” force similar to “gravitational lensing”
Intersecting – “Neutralizing” force intersecting other fields

The following graphic representations are recommended for as a visual shorthand when referring to the different fields:

fields.jpg

Here are some suggested applications beyond Tajmar’s comments:

Propulsive –
Terrestrially, most appropriate for levitating vehicles, platforms, emergency egress and sports equipment. Beyond Earth, for propellant-less space vehicles.

Thrust –
Push force useful for supporting unstable structures, levees and producing local microgravity. Could be medically useful for reducing pressure on severe burns or pressure ulcers. Directed thrust field “fingers” could sweep minefields or be used in redirecting and controlling the flow of molten materials without contamination. In the lab, could be used in place of ultracentrifuges.

Traction –
Applying a traction field to increase mechanical load could be an excellent tool for athletic conditioning, physical rehabilitation and artificial gravity environments for space flight.

Standing –
Weak standing fields could be used as a “virtual screen door” to prevent the ingress of flies or mosquitos. Strong fields might be used as windscreens, as dynamically shaped airfoil and hydrofoil bodies for airplanes and submersibles, or to avoid collisions with small objects. Strongest standing fields could push away atmosphere for the creation of high vacuum environments without walls.

Membrane –
Glass-less windows and containment of inert atmospheres for specialty welding are suggested. Small membrane field generators could be thrown into industrial fires to trap combustion products and smother fires.

Shearing –
For cutting, punching, boring, shaping and compression of light materials such as foils and aerogels.

Suppression –
Could be suitable for controlling the rate of chemical reactions and for constraining the shifting of liquids and granular materials during transport.

Optical –
Shaping paths of light for optoelectronics and visual displays. Would make possible new dynamic optics for microscopes or telescopes and perhaps a gravitational equivalent of photonics (gravitonics)?

Intersection –
For windows or doorways into other fields without influencing their operation.

gmod institute stakeholders

Applications

Once gravity modification has been demonstrated as a plausible future technology, stakeholders from the academic, governmental and private sectors should be included as gMOD Institute collaborators.

Public policy planning can not afford to lag far behind since the technology would have the potential to make obsolete some established industries while allowing others to flourish. Threatened industries might initiate lobbying efforts for both state and federal legislation to restrict deployment and protect existing commercial interests. The same happened in recent years as citywide wireless broadband technologies were blocked by protectionist legislation backed by incumbent interests.

Federal and international regulations should be established to develop standards for usage without impeding its reasonable growth. International bodies overseeing standards in transportation, health, safety and other arenas should seek coordination of oversight. Each nation, province, state, even local municipality should develop long range plans for embracing a technology that could both disrupt their existing economic base and spur new economic development. Just navigating those waters will likely become a growth industry. However it is also an opportunity for institutes and schools of public policy, technology management, transportation, engineering and design to anticipate, forecast, and get ahead of a pending wave.

At the University of Minnesota, the disciplines organized by a Gravity Modification (gMOD) Institute should be interdisciplinary and wide ranging. The University provides a wide range of resources, both academic and those in support of local communities, appropriate to discussing the opportunities and challenges inherent in new technology applications such as gravity modification.

Below are some resources at the University that may be interested in playing a role as this technology develops:

  • The Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs’ Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy – The center provides a forum for examining the effects of science and technology on society and on the political and economic relationships among nations. It also suggests to policy makers and the public designs for government policies and institutions that would promote and support appropriate research and development regionally, nationally, and internationally in order to maximize the social rate of return on our investments.
    http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/stpp/
  • University Metropolitan Consortium – The new University Metropolitan Consortium links resources concerned with understanding metropolitan change and development, metropolitan studies and urban and regional planning. Areas include housing, urban development, city planning and transportation to name a few.
    http://www.academic.umn.edu/system/projects/cms.html
  • College of Design – Housed in this college are architecture, urban design and product design… areas of critical importance in developing new products and architecture for the urban landscapes that gMOD would greatly change. The college seeks to advance the quality and value of the natural, designed, and social environments, with a focus on the interaction of people and their world.
    http://cdes.umn.edu/
  • Institute of Technology’s School of Mechanical Engineering – For many years, Mechanical Engineering has been ranked among the top ten ME departments nationally. Research areas include Design and New Product Realization, Intelligent Transportation Systems and Manufacturing,
    http://www.me.umn.edu/
  • Center for Transportation Studies’ Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute – Multidisciplinary research and educational organization, focusing on the application of advanced information-processing, communications, and control technologies to current transportation issues. Included in this arena is connection to Minnesota Guidestar – Minnesota’s intelligent transportation systems program; working to research, test, and deploy advanced transportation technology to save lives, time, and money.
    http://www.its.umn.edu/
  • School of Physics and Astronomy – Physics programs include Condensed matter Physics and Elementary Particle Physics
    http://www.physics.umn.edu/
  • College of Design Metropolitan Design Center – The Metropolitan Design Center (MDC) is an endowed center that investigates how design can be used to make the metropolitan landscape more livable and sustainable. It examines urban design across metropolitan areas through projects, research, and education.
    http://www.designcenter.umn.edu/
  • Leapfrog University – Leapfrog University proposes a creative, edgy University that leads in this paradigm will create a vibrant, visionary, hard-charging, front-running and value-creating institution that everybody will be proud to variously support, work for, teach at, matriculate to, collaborate with, and donate toward.
    https://wiki.umn.edu/twiki/bin/view/Leapfrog/WebHome

Governmental participants should be both national and local.

Outreach efforts to government agencies should include those involved with state and national economic development, transportation, urban development, economic development and technology transfer. Some of these resources might include:

  • Office of Policy Development and Research – PD&R is responsible for maintaining current information on housing needs, market conditions, and existing programs, as well as conducting research on priority housing and community development issues. The Office provides reliable and objective data and analysis to help inform policy decisions.
    http://www.huduser.org/
  • Transportation Research Board – The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is a division of the National Research Council, which serves as an independent adviser to the federal government and others on scientific and technical questions of national importance. The National Research Council is jointly administered by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board—one of six major divisions of the National Research Council—is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research.
    http://www.trb.org/
  • NASA GRC Technology Transfer and Partnership Office – Glenn Research Center (GRC) fuels the economy while developing cutting edge technology that advances aviation and space exploration. Glenn’s researchers specialize in power propulsion, communications and microgravity science.
    http://cto.grc.nasa.gov/
  • Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is the state’s principal economic development agency, with programs promoting business recruitment, expansion, and retention; workforce development; international trade; and community development. The agency’s mission is to support the economic success of individuals, businesses, and communities by improving opportunities for growth.
    http://www.deed.state.mn.us/agency/index.htm
  • Small Business Innovation Research Program – The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program awards federal research and development funding to small businesses, encouraging the entrepreneurial sector to compete on the same level as larger businesses in exploring their technological potential and profiting from its commercialization.
    http://www.deed.state.mn.us/programs/sbir.htm
  • Minnesota Department of Transportation – Mn/DOT’s mission is to improve access to markets, jobs, goods and services and improve mobility by focusing on priority transportation improvements and investments that help Minnesotans travel safer, smarter and more efficiently.
    http://www.dot.state.mn.us/index.html
  • Iron Range Resources – Iron Range Resources is a unique state agency designed to help strengthen and diversify the economy of northeastern Minnesota. Specifically, Iron Range Resources serves the interests of the Taconite Assistance Area (TAA), a geographical region encompassing approximately 13,000 square miles that stretches from Crosby, Minn., across the state’s Cuyuna, Mesabi and Vermilion iron ranges to the North Shore of Lake Superior. (See my Feb 17 comments on Spaceport Duluth)
    http://www.irrrb.org/

Finally, business groups should reflect local business strengths. Identifying business associations open to potential partnerships for such burgeoning technology will be an important early step. The first step should be here:

  • Minnesota High Technology Association (MHTA) – MHTA supports the growth, sustainability and global competitiveness of Minnesota’s technology- based economy through advocacy, education and collaboration.
    http://www.mhta.org/

Droscher Article Preparation and Possible Patent

Applications, Theory

It has recently been reported by hdeasy in the PhysorgForum that Walter Droscher is preparing an article for peer review.  Droscher is co-author with Jochem Hauser on papers promoting Extended Heim Theory (EHT) as the theoretical basis for Dr. Tajmar’s gMOD results.  Droscher is a former collaborator with Burkhard Heim and is a researcher at the Institut für Grenzgebiete der Wissenschaft, Innsbruck, Austria.  In addition, the forum reports that additional studies of Tajmar’s experiment will start up soon at the European Space Agency (one of the original sponsors of Tajmar’s work).

The same blogger reports that Droscher may have filed a patent covering a method for the generation of power based upon Heim theory.  It is unclear how or if this relates to his and Hauser’s recommended reconfiguration of  Tajmar’s device for propulsion.

enhancing local industries

Applications

I’ve mentioned previously how gMOD could enhance Minnesota’s economy by turning part of Duluth Airport into a spaceport for export and shipping to other locations on the globe… or even beyond our globe.  This capability would expand existing port facility capabilities in Duluth.  What other industries in Minnesota would benefit from similar adoption of gMOD technology to enhance our local economy?

Generation of a propulsive gravity field might first be employed by manufacturers of small motorized vehicles such as snowmobiles, ATVs and motorcycles.  Manufacturers such as Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycle Manufacturing Company, ArcticCat and Polaris have filled a valuable manufacturing position in the state for decades.  As the legal requirements for such vehicles are generally less onerous than that for cars and trucks, these manufacturers may find an early niche in the production of recreational gMOD vehicles.

The first gMOD vehicles might be more like RVs, allowing owners to live in their vehicle… even tour on vacation in it.  RV motorhome customizers such as Kingsley Coach and Waldoch Crafts are well suited to larger vehicle production in small quantities.

Another potential industry for the first residential gMOD vehicles might be boat builders.  Manufacturers such as Bluewater Yachts or Genmar, and manufacturers of smaller vessels such as Crestliner, Premiere Marine and Lund Boats may easily transition to hull-based gMOD vehicles. Also, these need not resemble boats per se.  The canal houseboats in Amsterdam clearly show that floating residences need not be seaworthy boat-like vessels.  In fact, floating homes in Seattle’s Puget Sound or on Portland’s Willamette River show that perhaps even the construction industry could find a niche here.

Prior to hurricane Katrina the thirteen hotel-casino barges off of the U.S. Gulf Coast had an occupancy of many thousands of guests and collectively were the nation’s third-largest casino market.  Casinos have the capital to invest in novel technology such as gMOD if it can be used to attract new visitors.

In Minnesota barges are not necessary as Indian Gaming casinos such as Mystic Lake, Treasure Island and Grand Casino are owned and operated by tribal communities that establish their own gaming laws.  Paired with barge manufacturers from the gulf region, we might find that it is the tribal communities of the state that become the first to employ gMOD floating architecture on a large scale.

is gmod green?

Applications, Methodology

As in the debate over biofuels, the total “environmental accounting” for a new technology should be taken into consideration before declaring one method as environmentally superior or more beneficial than another.  We will look at the possible environmental drawbacks of gMOD (from ore extraction to disposal) at another time.  Today I’d like to focus upon its environmental benefits for transportation.

One environmental benefit of gMOD is its potential to replace the burning of fossil fuels (FF) as a means for producing propulsion.  Configured for propulsion, a gMOD generator could replace the burning of fossil fuels by automobiles, trains and ships to produce both forward movement and braking.  A gMOD generator employed within a family vehicle would therefore be the environmental equivalent of an electric vehicle, since it converts electrical energy into vehicle propulsion, though field propulsion as opposed to mechanical propulsion.

However, any requirement to generate large magnetic fields (e.g. in the multiple Tesla range) or to cool generator coils to superconducting temperatures could easily make a gMOD generator an energy “hog” and unsuitable for mobile applications.  In addition, any need for a coil of several dozen or more meters in diameter (as suggested by Tajmar’s patent) would similarly make it impractical for single vehicle usage.  So a compact profile and efficient energy conversion are essential to its usefulness for many transportation needs.

Reduction of operating friction is another potential advantage of gMOD.  Small devices could provide lift-assist in airplanes, dirigibles and maglev (magnetic levitation) trains to improve their efficiency without relying exclusively on gMOD.  Even the conventional family car could benefit from the reduction of friction on wheel bearings, thus reducing operational temperatures and improving fuel efficiency… all made possible with an assist from a small gMOD generator. If standing fields can be shaped according to need then such fields could also be suitable for forming transient airfoil and hydrofoil shapes for reducing air drag and improving mileage.  The field could either form the entire envelope or provide the ability to dynamically change the displacement of air/water as speed or direction changes.

And then there are “flying platforms”.  A fleet of pilotless (autonomous) platforms controlled by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and carrying a wide range of cargo containers could navigate between cities/nodes via satellite GPS.  Shipping goods between cities is perhaps the largest initial growth area for gMOD, even surpassing transport for people.  Such a system would reduce traffic load on highways and reduce wear and tear by fleet vehicles.  This would reduce maintenance costs and increase the longevity of our highways including the consumption of FF-based bituminous roadway material.

How do you ensure the success of a new technology today?  Answer:  Make it an essential strategy for Wal-Mart.  This has been true with RFID chips and it could be true with gMOD.  The biggest horizontal industry in the world is logistics — getting raw materials in, processing of products, packaging products, transporting, warehousing, distributing and retailing to the consumer.  gMOD platforms could fill that need.

If gMOD is found to be practical, there are only a few criteria which must be met to overcome barriers to introducing a gMOD generator.  These include:

1)The technology must be competitively priced both to purchase and to operate in comparison to alternate conventional technologies.

2)It must operate at an efficiency that allows it to perform work at various scales (ideally from palm-sized generators capable of lifting several kilos to closet-sized generators capable of lifting several tons.)

3)Its operation must not present unacceptably high risks to operators, citizenry, or the environment.

4)Any byproducts of its usage must be managed and disposed of safely.

Of these, items 3 and 4 represent areas of potential environmental impact.  It is these areas which represent the potential negative environmental impacts of gMOD technology.  Unfortunately, not enough is known about byproducts or safety risks specific to this technology to address them today.  We’ll reserve speculation about them for another day.

spaceport duluth

Applications

One of the most often described purposes suggested for gravity modification is space travel.  Space travel suggests the establishment of a spaceport and spaceports are actually common.  They currently exist in California (California Spaceport and Mojave Airport), Alaska (Kodiak Launch Complex), Florida (Kennedy), Virginia, Oklahoma, and Texas .  Plans are also in various stages of development for Wisconsin (Sheboygan) and the New Mexico Southwest Regional Spaceport for space tourism.

However, such tourist facilities won’t have the infrastructure for shipping large tonnage of cargo.  Why is tonnage a factor?  Because even if we we don’t ship slabs of “blueberry” laden hematite from Mars to face building exteriors on Earth, or import tons of diamond-bearing kimberlite pipe ore from Olympus Mons, gMOD would still be useful for delivering suborbital payloads to ports around the world.  And for that tonnage we need a candidate port to become the first industrial spaceport.  Preferably it will be an existing major international airport or shipping port already transporting millions of tons of cargo a year.

Duluth could act as that first industrial spaceport.  The city is already an international port, one of the largest in America as gauged by tonnage.  It also has an international airport and an underutilized world-class aircraft facility.  The $25 million, 300,000 sq-ft Northwest Airlines Airbus Maintenance facility is located in Duluth International Airport.  Despite it capabilities, the underpayment of taxes by Northwest Airlines since May 2005 and the looming potential of a merger with Delta leaves the facility’s future uncertain. So why not reserve it as our first industrial spaceport facility?

Duluth’s location on Lake Superior has ready access to the two most desirable resources for industrial expansion into space: steel for building and fresh water for drinking.  Minnesota Steel Industries plans to bring in 2,000 construction workers to the defunct Butler Taconite site in Nashwauk to erect North America’s first fully integrated taconite-mine-to-steel mill.  The $1.6 billion plant is on a two year fast track for development.

Also, Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world.  There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover the entire land mass of North and South America with a foot (30 cm) of water. Though water levels have declined in recent years, Superior could still contain all the other Great Lakes and three more Lake Eries.

The long expanse of Lake Superior from Isle Royale eastward would allow space vehicles to depart from the Duluth spaceport, climb over the lake, and reach orbit… matching most currently eastward orbits.  This is a necessary step before the first industrial goal:  removing the millions of pieces of space debris (space junk) currently in orbit.

Once cleared, satellite platforms could be placed into orbit.  Such platforms become not just satellites but potentially (thanks to gMOD) geosynchronous satellites suitable for all sorts of communications needs.  Payloads for the platforms could also include anything from orbital hostels (less formal the the five star hotel of the film “2001”) to fueling platforms for flights to the moon and planets.

Gravity Modification Discussion Points

Applications

The topic of “gravity modification” elicits both skepticism and disbelief.  Inappropriately confused with science fiction, the subject has been intensely studied for years both by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). Now, a three-year study and its follow-up indicate that the artificial generation of local gravity effects is possible. The resultant ability to modify gravity locally might lead to microgravity or zero-G applications on Earth, as mentioned in a 2006 cover story for New Scientist magazine (Nov 11-17).

Formation of this study group has been recommended to the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs’ Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy to initiate early discussions on how gravity modification might positively benefit the economy and technological leadership of Minnesota. Participants in these exchanges should understand that the discussion points and projections of future applications within this
document currently rest upon a single set of research results from grants funded by ESA and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. If the results are confirmed and further refined then the projections will necessarily change focus and scope.

At least two other physics labs are currently attempting to replicate the ESA results. If independent confirmation of the above research results is found to be lacking then these study group exchanges should be tabled. If confirmation is suitably convincing then these exchanges should be expanded and the workings of this study group formalized. However, waiting until confirmation of results are universally accepted puts economic development opportunities in Minnesota at a distinct disadvantage.

Therefore two questions must be asked and answered early in the process of establishing these exchanges: 1) how to identify when promising research becomes institutionally acceptable, and; 2) how to restrain criticism of formative ideas until they can reach maturity.

The State of California found early public support of nanotechnology research and private partnerships not only drew talent to the state but also positioned it as a leader in the field. According to nanotech publication Small Times, California took the lead not only in their overall research category, but also in three out of their four micro- and nanotech-specific measures.

Similarly, early discussions of the benefits and policy outcomes for gravity modification research will give Minnesota an opportunity to position itself as a leader in what has been described as “the basis for a new technological domain” with significant implications for transportation, architecture, urban planning and statewide economic development.

Gregory Daigle
College of Design