Electrostatic motor

[PiCéd]

Last interesting video of lidmotor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l_VYGAJP8g&list=UU9jbwyyAum79LXTNCgHeuFg&feature=c4-overview
The heat(?) finger on negative side move the close electrostatic motor.
I think that is the heat of but I'm not sure.

[TinselKoala]

Not heat. Transfer of charge through the capacitance of the body and the space between the parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX-jrlGC-aA

(High voltage source is a small Van De Graaff machine off to the left of the screen. My body is not grounded or connected to anything else.)

[guest1289]

Since I can't find the answer to my question as to how electrostatic-charges dissipate, 
    that is,  whether a normal smooth surface looses it's electrostatic-charge into the air over time,  or whether it can only transmit that charge to another object,
I can't work out the answer to the question below .

   ( There are several different types of electrostatic-motors  )

   Electrostatic-Motor In A Vacuum
       If you placed a suitable type of  electrostatic-motor( for this vaccum question ) into the highest vacuum that can be achieved :

    -  Would the motor run for a longer time,  than in a non-vacuum,   before dissipating all of it's charge  ?

    -  I assume that putting it into a vacuum,  could not turn it into a perpetual-motion device

    -  Each time a  moving-charged-component  of the motor( in the vacuum ) discharges some of it's charge to a stator in the motor,  would it visually look like one of those plasma-globes  ?

    -  Could some additional wiring( and maybe electronics ) turn it into a  self-running  perpetual-motion device,   ?