Interesting Phun simulation on Youtube

[Rapadura]

I found it on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9DtuMqbCQE

That's a video of a simulation made using Phun, a physics simulator software.

I think the "secret" in this simulation are the springs.

What are the chances of a device like that work in the real world?

[FreeEnergy]

will not work.
the wheel is balanced, it may not look like it but it is, even when the arms fold.
and the horizontal sliding weight doesn't do anything to help just adds friction to the system.

[Airstriker]

Actually that's not the old idea everybody here knows too well. As Rapadura said this one involves the springs to make the weights do the action - much earlier than without them. Maybe this makes the wheel unbalanced. And as for the horizontal slider - I think it was added deliberately, just as you said FreeEnergy, to add additional friction - so that the device is performing work. I don't think there is anything wrong with the simulation - Phun was always good at things. Maybe the concept is worth a try in reality ? Just maybe...

[Rapadura]

When I have some time I will try to replicate the simulation on Phun. I don't know what are the specifications of size and density of the parts used, but I will try to do something similiar with Phun...

If the wheel can turn for very long time (I will accelerate simulation speed to 10x ) without decrease in the spinning speed, I will post the .PHZ file here.