SBIR Phase I: Quantum Propulsion

SBIR项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发和商业化一种无推进剂的电动真空推进器——一种新的、更清洁的物体推进方法。这种创新的推进器采用电子元件和电源来移动物体，消除了对传统燃料的需求。成功实现这些目标可能会给交通运输业带来革命性的变革。例如，一个完全开发的推进器可以用作各种电流电机的增压装置，以提高效率（减少能耗），同时增加范围。除了将提议的推进器装置开发成可用的产品外，该项目还有望加深对其操作原理的科学理解。所有这些改进都有望使该设备能够以更低的能耗移动更重的物体。由于它适合在地球和太空中使用，一种开发的推进器产品有可能提高所有运输方式的效率，包括汽车、船只和航天器。这个SBIR一期项目建议开发和优化拟议的电动推力器装置，这是一种令人兴奋的移动物体的新方法。目前，物体和车辆都是使用基于燃料的推进技术移动的。这一点，再加上碳氢化合物和电动机系统的低效率，对环境有害，而且不可持续。该产品和技术平台是一种新型的清洁推进技术。所提出的电力驱动的工作原理是利用电池产生的电场在电容器中紧密间隔的电极之间加速电子。加速电子在电容器阴极后面形成伦德勒视界（Unruh效应），改变该区域内的真空波动。这种变化产生了一种推动物体前进的力。该推进器装置预计将具有成本效益和重量轻，初步的实验结果似乎很有希望。该项目的目标是：(1)使用最先进的材料和一些设计改进来开发和改进原型，(2)通过第三方验证来确认技术的性能。演示推进器装置的可靠性和可扩展性有望为商业化提供途径。通过开发、优化和验证，该项目不仅通过开发可用的产品突破了推进技术的界限，而且还展示了一条令人兴奋的道路，作为一种平台技术，具有未来广泛实用、高效和环保的交通解决方案的潜力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this SBIR project is to develop and commercialize a propellant-less electric vacuum thruster—a novel and cleaner method for object propulsion. This inventive thruster employs electronic components and sources to move objects, eliminating the need for traditional fuel. Successfully achieving these goals could potentially bring about a revolutionary transformation in the transportation industry. For example, a fully developed thruster could be used as a boost-on device for a wide range of current motors to increase efficiency (reduce energy consumption) while increasing range. Beyond developing the proposed thruster device into a usable product, this project also is expected to deepen the scientific understanding of its operational principles. All these enhancements hold the promise of enabling the device to move heavier objects with reduced energy consumption. Due to its suitability for use both on Earth and in space, a developed thruster product has the potential to improve the efficiency of all modes of transportation, including automobiles, boats, and spacecrafts.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop and optimize the proposed electric thruster device, an exciting new way to move objects. Currently, objects and vehicles are moved using fuel-based propulsion technologies. This, coupled with the low efficiency of hydrocarbon and electric motor systems, is bad for the environment and not sustainable. This proposed product and technology platform presents a new type of cleaner propulsion technology. The proposed electric drive works by accelerating electrons between closely spaced electrodes in a capacitor using electric fields generated by a battery. The accelerated electrons form a Rindler horizon (Unruh Effect) behind the cathode of the capacitor which alter vacuum fluctuations within this zone. This modification creates a force that propels objects forward. The thruster device is expected to be cost-effective and lightweight, and initial experimental results appear promising. The project's goals are to (1) develop and improve a prototype using state-of-the-art materials and several design refinements, and (2) to confirm the technology's performance through third party validation. Demonstrating the thruster device's reliability and scalability is expected to provide a path to commercialization. Through development, optimization and validation, this project not only pushes the boundaries of propulsion through development of a usable product but also presents an exciting path as a platform technology with future potential for a wide range of practical, efficient, and environmental transportation solutions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.