The Believe Machine and US Patent 3,967,146

[ken_nyus]

I've searched the forum but I have not seen a topic devoted to this design:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr8Rv7gNKns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD-5aVCNbtg

It is based on this patent:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=mEg2AAAAEBAJ&dq=3,967,146

United States Patent 3,967,146
Howard June 29, 1976
Magnetic motion conversion device
Appl. No.: 05/574,457
Filed: May 5, 1975

[ryanjrx7]

That is IT! that is exactly what I had in mind.  Put a couple of 2 inch dia, 1/2in thick neo's in there and I bet you've got at least 50 ft lbs of torque! This is the most plausible deisgn I have see yet!

[Omnibus]

This was discussed in the forum some time ago. I even wrote to the gallery where this device has been exhibited. @Stefan wrote that he has spoken with the inventor and the latter told him something of the sort that it wasn't really a PM machine but was just an art exhibit. I don't remember what thread this was in to quote the exact words. As far as I recall, there was even someone trying to replicate it but without success. Nevertheless, I still think this should be looked into.

[Iosh]

Here's the non-working one: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=oeaG6bPIPGs

[ken_nyus]

In the patent there is no claim to be a self-runner. The patent shows another motor spinning the shield wheel, but the art exihibit seems to at least imply that it is self running, it is called the Believe Machine after all!

I think the interesting part of the patent is that the shield is made up of multiple alternating layers, ferrous and non-magnetic. This seems to allow the single structure to "shield" both fields at once, independently.

The patent does claim that the shield should be easy to move, because it moves parallel to the field lines, but is it easy enough to move from it's own power?