SBIR Phase I: Quantum Propulsion

这个SBIR项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发和商业化的无推进剂电真空推进器-一种新颖的和清洁的物体推进方法。本发明的推进器采用电子部件和源来移动物体，消除了对传统燃料的需要。 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助推装置，以提高效率（降低能耗），同时增加范围。除了将拟议的推进器设备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。所有这些增强功能都有望使设备能够以更低的能耗移动更重的物体。由于其适用于地球和太空，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。SBIR第一阶段项目提出开发和优化拟议的电推进器设备，这是一种令人兴奋的移动物体的新方法。 目前，物体和车辆使用基于燃料的推进技术移动。这一点，再加上碳氢化合物和电动机系统的低效率，对环境不利，也是不可持续的。该产品和技术平台提出了一种新型的清洁推进技术。 所提出的电力驱动器通过使用电池产生的电场在电容器中的紧密间隔的电极之间加速电子来工作。被加速的电子在电容器的阴极后面形成林德勒视界（Unruh效应），这改变了该区域内的真空波动。这种修改会产生一种推动物体前进的力。该推进器装置预计具有成本效益和重量轻，初步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几个设计改进开发和改进原型，以及（2）通过第三方验证确认该技术的性能。展示推进器设备的可靠性和可扩展性有望为商业化提供一条道路。通过开发，优化和验证，该项目不仅通过开发可用产品推动了推进力的界限，而且还提供了一条令人兴奋的道路，作为一种平台技术，未来有可能实现广泛的实用，高效，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，更广泛的影响审查标准。

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.