Boffins create plasma-propelled flying saucer
Scientists have designed a circular, spinning aircraft reminiscent of those in countless UFO sightings.Prof Subrata Roy, a expert in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Florida has submitted a patent application for what he calls a “wingless electromagnetic air vehicle.”
The vehicle will be powered by magnetohydrodynamics - the force created when a current or a magnetic field is passed through a conducting fluid created by electrodes that cover each of the vehicle’s surfaces and ionize the surrounding air into plasma.
While the planned prototype is only six inches across Prof Roy says the design can be scaled up and theoretically should work in a much larger form.
The U.S. Air Force and NASA are already said to have expressed interest in the aircraft, and the university is seeking to license the design.
“This is a very novel concept, and if it’s successful, it will be revolutionary,” Roy said.
No plasma-propelled aircraft has successfully taken flight on Earth. Such designs have found some success in space, where gravity and drag are minimal, but a vehicle hoping to fly within Earth’s atmosphere will need at least an order of magnitude more thrust, Roy said.
LINKS
University of Florida
No plasma-propelled aircraft has successfully taken flight on Earth. Such designs have found some success in space, where gravity and drag are minimal, but a vehicle hoping to fly within Earth’s atmosphere will need at least an order of magnitude more thrust, Roy said.
LINKS
University of Florida
