The Evolution
of Lifter Technology
Read
Tim Ventura's in-depth overview of lifter technology. This
article covers the author's background in electrogravity
and antigravity research and the development of Lifter technology
from the beginning of the concept through current prototypes
to designs currently still on the drawing board.
click
here
Is This Antigravity?
Lifter
technology is currently being investigated to determine
if the anomalous side-effects noticed in testing are in
fact gravitational in nature, but Lifter technology is probably
not "true" Antigravity. The definition of "true"
Antigravity would be that it actually reduces or negates
the effects of gravity on the prototype.
Lifter
technology is a method of producing directional thrust using
an electromagnetic propulsion system that has no moving
parts. This could be considered the effective equivalent,
or "effective" Antigravity for the purpose of
future vehicular transportation.
AAG Lifter Experimentation
American
Antigravity is currently conducting experiments with Electrokinetic
propulsion, and is in the process of developing a practical
source of Electrokinetic propulsion for possible use as
a vehicular propulsion source. Our experiments are conducted
using modified Biefeld-Brown effect transducers, which convert
high-voltage electrical current into motive force.
Our
experimentation has currently progressed to the point of
being able to levitate a tethered Lifter for an indefinite
period of time while carrying payloads of up to 1 pound.
While this is a very small payload at the moment, it demonstrates
a propulsive efficiency orders
of magnitude higher than alternative Electrokinetic technologies.
Technology Goals
One
of the primary reasons that the debate about the propulsion-source
for the Lifter is important concerns the potential of Biefeld-Brown
technology versus ion-wind technology. Ion-wind technology
has been demonstrated to require large amounts of power
and provide relatively inefficient thrust in tests by NASA
and other aerospace organizations. Additionally, ion-wind
technology requires direct atmospheric interaction to work,
which makes shielding and modularizing ion-wind devices
difficult to achieve.
Biefeld-Brown
propulsion is similar to ion-wind technology in that it
utilizes high-voltage electricity to produce motive-force,
however, unlike ion-wind technology the Biefeld-Brown transducer
can be shielded from the atmosphere to prevent unwanted
ionization. Additionally, Biefeld-Brown technology appears
to have a much greater efficiency than ion-wind propulsion,
which equates to lighter power-sources and better fuel-economy.
Lifter Basics
All
Lifters contain two primary elements that are essential
to the proper functioning of the device -- a corona or "emitter"
wire, and a "collector" foil. The foil is typically
3 to 5 centimeters in height, and serves as a collector
for a high-voltage charge emitted by the corona-wire.
A
similar design developed over 50 years ago by Alexander
DeSeversky uses a wire-mesh as a collector instead of a
vertically-mounted foil. Although DeSeversky's design functioned
effectively for the ion-wind component of the propulsion,
it doesn't seem to have the effectiveness for the Biefeld-Brown
effect propulsion that the newer Lifter-designs have.
Lifters
are usually, but not always, triangular in shape. They usually
measure from 6-inches up to 9-feet on each side, and use
mounting posts at the ends to suspend the corona wire above
the foil collector. The triangle shape is not critical to
the functionality of the Lifter, but it does reduce the
complexity of Lifter construction and provide somewhat better
internal structural support from the triangular geometry.
Types of Lifters
There
are a variety of different variations on the theme of the
Lifter, but they generally tend to fall into one of two
categories -- either single-cell or compound multicellular
designs.
Single-cell
Lifters contain only one triangular-cell and are typically
less than 1-foot in length on each side. A newer version
of larger-scale single-cell lifters known as "Beamships"
have also been developed recently. Beamships vary from the
conventional Lifter design in that they typically have more
structural reinforcements to support the weight and size
of the larger lifting-cell.
Multicellular
or "compound" Lifters contain a series of smaller
triangular shape lifting-cells mounted on the interior of
a single exterior cell. This design allows a greater amount
of thrust to be created from smaller devices. For instance,
American Antigravity's Lifter 4 measures only 4-feet on
each side, but contains over 30-feet of lifting-surface.
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