Curved-space robot defies known laws of physics, heralding new locomotive technology possibilities.
The discovery has implications for locomotion without propulsion.

A robot engineered at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has done the unthinkable and flouted a steadfast law of motion, suggesting that new laws need to be defined. Such new principles may have applications in new forms of locomotion without propellants.

We’ve all seen the hilarious slapstick gag where the unwitting individual steps on a banana peel, landing comically on their rump. It may not seem like it, but the quip relies on the fact that human locomotion, like all locomotion, is based on Newton’s third law of motion.

Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, when a human takes a step, we push against the Earth and the Earth pushes back, propelling us forward. But this only works thanks to friction. Without friction (or with minimal friction, for example, when there is a slimy banana peel on the ground) there is no push – we just slide straight over the ground and can’t move forward, falling unceremoniously back to Earth.

The same is true of all locomotion. Rockets, for example, eject massive amounts of matter at high speed to push themselves in the opposite direction. Animals in the sea and air push against water and atmosphere respectively. There is always a push to move.

But the Georgia Tech robot has bypassed this need for a thrust in order to change momentum. It does this by making use of curved space.

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/curved-space-robot-defies-physics/

¿does it work?

fsm said:

Curved-space robot defies known laws of physics, heralding new locomotive technology possibilities.
The discovery has implications for locomotion without propulsion.

A robot engineered at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has done the unthinkable and flouted a steadfast law of motion, suggesting that new laws need to be defined. Such new principles may have applications in new forms of locomotion without propellants.

We’ve all seen the hilarious slapstick gag where the unwitting individual steps on a banana peel, landing comically on their rump. It may not seem like it, but the quip relies on the fact that human locomotion, like all locomotion, is based on Newton’s third law of motion.

Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, when a human takes a step, we push against the Earth and the Earth pushes back, propelling us forward. But this only works thanks to friction. Without friction (or with minimal friction, for example, when there is a slimy banana peel on the ground) there is no push – we just slide straight over the ground and can’t move forward, falling unceremoniously back to Earth.

The same is true of all locomotion. Rockets, for example, eject massive amounts of matter at high speed to push themselves in the opposite direction. Animals in the sea and air push against water and atmosphere respectively. There is always a push to move.

But the Georgia Tech robot has bypassed this need for a thrust in order to change momentum. It does this by making use of curved space.

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/curved-space-robot-defies-physics/

Interesting video. Thanks fsm.

fsm said:

Curved-space robot defies known laws of physics, heralding new locomotive technology possibilities.
The discovery has implications for locomotion without propulsion.

A robot engineered at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has done the unthinkable and flouted a steadfast law of motion, suggesting that new laws need to be defined. Such new principles may have applications in new forms of locomotion without propellants.

We’ve all seen the hilarious slapstick gag where the unwitting individual steps on a banana peel, landing comically on their rump. It may not seem like it, but the quip relies on the fact that human locomotion, like all locomotion, is based on Newton’s third law of motion.

Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, when a human takes a step, we push against the Earth and the Earth pushes back, propelling us forward. But this only works thanks to friction. Without friction (or with minimal friction, for example, when there is a slimy banana peel on the ground) there is no push – we just slide straight over the ground and can’t move forward, falling unceremoniously back to Earth.

The same is true of all locomotion. Rockets, for example, eject massive amounts of matter at high speed to push themselves in the opposite direction. Animals in the sea and air push against water and atmosphere respectively. There is always a push to move.

But the Georgia Tech robot has bypassed this need for a thrust in order to change momentum. It does this by making use of curved space.

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/curved-space-robot-defies-physics/

I haven’t read the article, but every time we drop an apple on Newton’s head, are we not making use of curved space?

I’m doubtful.
Too much like the EM Drive and Gyroscopic Inertial Thruster machines.

The Rev Dodgson said:

fsm said:

Curved-space robot defies known laws of physics, heralding new locomotive technology possibilities.
The discovery has implications for locomotion without propulsion.

A robot engineered at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has done the unthinkable and flouted a steadfast law of motion, suggesting that new laws need to be defined. Such new principles may have applications in new forms of locomotion without propellants.

We’ve all seen the hilarious slapstick gag where the unwitting individual steps on a banana peel, landing comically on their rump. It may not seem like it, but the quip relies on the fact that human locomotion, like all locomotion, is based on Newton’s third law of motion.

Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, when a human takes a step, we push against the Earth and the Earth pushes back, propelling us forward. But this only works thanks to friction. Without friction (or with minimal friction, for example, when there is a slimy banana peel on the ground) there is no push – we just slide straight over the ground and can’t move forward, falling unceremoniously back to Earth.

The same is true of all locomotion. Rockets, for example, eject massive amounts of matter at high speed to push themselves in the opposite direction. Animals in the sea and air push against water and atmosphere respectively. There is always a push to move.

But the Georgia Tech robot has bypassed this need for a thrust in order to change momentum. It does this by making use of curved space.

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/curved-space-robot-defies-physics/

I haven’t read the article, but every time we drop an apple on Newton’s head, are we not making use of curved space?

Hmm not specifically. Like the same effect would exist in some universe where there was a linear gradient in grav potential.

The Rev Dodgson said:

fsm said:

Curved-space robot defies known laws of physics, heralding new locomotive technology possibilities.
The discovery has implications for locomotion without propulsion.

A robot engineered at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has done the unthinkable and flouted a steadfast law of motion, suggesting that new laws need to be defined. Such new principles may have applications in new forms of locomotion without propellants.

We’ve all seen the hilarious slapstick gag where the unwitting individual steps on a banana peel, landing comically on their rump. It may not seem like it, but the quip relies on the fact that human locomotion, like all locomotion, is based on Newton’s third law of motion.

Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, when a human takes a step, we push against the Earth and the Earth pushes back, propelling us forward. But this only works thanks to friction. Without friction (or with minimal friction, for example, when there is a slimy banana peel on the ground) there is no push – we just slide straight over the ground and can’t move forward, falling unceremoniously back to Earth.

The same is true of all locomotion. Rockets, for example, eject massive amounts of matter at high speed to push themselves in the opposite direction. Animals in the sea and air push against water and atmosphere respectively. There is always a push to move.

But the Georgia Tech robot has bypassed this need for a thrust in order to change momentum. It does this by making use of curved space.

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/curved-space-robot-defies-physics/

I haven’t read the article, but every time we drop an apple on Newton’s head, are we not making use of curved space?

I seem to recall something about Einstein encapsulating the idea as ‘matter tells space how to curve; space tells matter how to behave’.

captain_spalding said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

fsm said:

Curved-space robot defies known laws of physics, heralding new locomotive technology possibilities.
The discovery has implications for locomotion without propulsion.

A robot engineered at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has done the unthinkable and flouted a steadfast law of motion, suggesting that new laws need to be defined. Such new principles may have applications in new forms of locomotion without propellants.

We’ve all seen the hilarious slapstick gag where the unwitting individual steps on a banana peel, landing comically on their rump. It may not seem like it, but the quip relies on the fact that human locomotion, like all locomotion, is based on Newton’s third law of motion.

Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, when a human takes a step, we push against the Earth and the Earth pushes back, propelling us forward. But this only works thanks to friction. Without friction (or with minimal friction, for example, when there is a slimy banana peel on the ground) there is no push – we just slide straight over the ground and can’t move forward, falling unceremoniously back to Earth.

The same is true of all locomotion. Rockets, for example, eject massive amounts of matter at high speed to push themselves in the opposite direction. Animals in the sea and air push against water and atmosphere respectively. There is always a push to move.

But the Georgia Tech robot has bypassed this need for a thrust in order to change momentum. It does this by making use of curved space.

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/curved-space-robot-defies-physics/

I haven’t read the article, but every time we drop an apple on Newton’s head, are we not making use of curved space?

I seem to recall something about Einstein encapsulating the idea as ‘matter tells space how to curve; space tells matter how to behave’.

I’m pretty sure that was one of Einstein’s followers.

The Rev Dodgson said:

captain_spalding said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

I haven’t read the article, but every time we drop an apple on Newton’s head, are we not making use of curved space?

I seem to recall something about Einstein encapsulating the idea as ‘matter tells space how to curve; space tells matter how to behave’.

I’m pretty sure that was one of Einstein’s followers.

¿they had online social media back then?

SCIENCE said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

captain_spalding said:

I seem to recall something about Einstein encapsulating the idea as ‘matter tells space how to curve; space tells matter how to behave’.

I’m pretty sure that was one of Einstein’s followers.

¿they had online social media back then?

I’m afraid to let you in on the secret, even the Ausralian aboriginal people, had social media.

Spiny Norman said:

I’m doubtful.
Too much like the EM Drive and Gyroscopic Inertial Thruster machines.

I’ll wait for rebuttals but it does seem unlikely that this hokey jiggling robot can “defy the standard laws of physics”. The curvature of space is minute on the scale of this bot compared to all the other environmental effects in a lab.

dv said:

Spiny Norman said:

I’m doubtful.
Too much like the EM Drive and Gyroscopic Inertial Thruster machines.

I’ll wait for rebuttals but it does seem unlikely that this hokey jiggling robot can “defy the standard laws of physics”. The curvature of space is minute on the scale of this bot compared to all the other environmental effects in a lab.

I was going to ask, why doesn’t he run it past Einstein?

dv said:

Spiny Norman said:

I’m doubtful.
Too much like the EM Drive and Gyroscopic Inertial Thruster machines.

I’ll wait for rebuttals but it does seem unlikely that this hokey jiggling robot can “defy the standard laws of physics”. The curvature of space is minute on the scale of this bot compared to all the other environmental effects in a lab.

So, we’re all agreed.

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

Spiny Norman said:

I’m doubtful.
Too much like the EM Drive and Gyroscopic Inertial Thruster machines.

I’ll wait for rebuttals but it does seem unlikely that this hokey jiggling robot can “defy the standard laws of physics”. The curvature of space is minute on the scale of this bot compared to all the other environmental effects in a lab.

So, we’re all agreed.

I’m a watchmaker… what do you reckon?

roughbarked said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

I’ll wait for rebuttals but it does seem unlikely that this hokey jiggling robot can “defy the standard laws of physics”. The curvature of space is minute on the scale of this bot compared to all the other environmental effects in a lab.

So, we’re all agreed.

I’m a watchmaker… what do you reckon?

I test my wheel trains with a puffer.

roughbarked said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

I’ll wait for rebuttals but it does seem unlikely that this hokey jiggling robot can “defy the standard laws of physics”. The curvature of space is minute on the scale of this bot compared to all the other environmental effects in a lab.

So, we’re all agreed.

I’m a watchmaker… what do you reckon?

I’m blind.

Michael V said:

roughbarked said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

So, we’re all agreed.

I’m a watchmaker… what do you reckon?

I’m blind.

Legally?

> But the Georgia Tech robot has bypassed this need for a thrust in order to change momentum. It does this by making use of curved space.

Oh, I get it.

Curved space is caused by gravity.

So their robot is a parachute.

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

Spiny Norman said:

I’m doubtful.
Too much like the EM Drive and Gyroscopic Inertial Thruster machines.

I’ll wait for rebuttals but it does seem unlikely that this hokey jiggling robot can “defy the standard laws of physics”. The curvature of space is minute on the scale of this bot compared to all the other environmental effects in a lab.

So, we’re all agreed.

Yes, we are.

For about six months I thought I had a conceptual design for a robot powered by Maxwell’s daemon, just like this. But I looked into it further and realised that the thermodynamic jiggling within the robot arms completely cancelled out any locomotion effect. All I really had was an engine powered by heat, just another variant on the standard heat engine.

Claims like this pop up every five years or so.

mollwollfumble said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

I’ll wait for rebuttals but it does seem unlikely that this hokey jiggling robot can “defy the standard laws of physics”. The curvature of space is minute on the scale of this bot compared to all the other environmental effects in a lab.

So, we’re all agreed.

Yes, we are.

For about six months I thought I had a conceptual design for a robot powered by Maxwell’s daemon, just like this. But I looked into it further and realised that the thermodynamic jiggling within the robot arms completely cancelled out any locomotion effect. All I really had was an engine powered by heat, just another variant on the standard heat engine.

Claims like this pop up every five years or so.

This one doesn’t have anything to do with Maxwell’s Demon though does it? (or even his daemon)