We've all heard claims of green inventions that are too good to be true: the zero-point energy generator, the water-powered car, the device for talking with dolphins to achieve world peace.
Sometimes they amuse us; sometimes they confuse us, as we try to determine whether they're legitimate or not; and sometimes they just annoy us. But can they ever help us?
Yes: by keeping our imaginations open, and by honing our evaluation skills -- skills which are useful both when deciding between existing technologies, and when thinking about technologies on the horizon.
Some high-quality nutball vaporware that has crossed my desk in the last year or two includes:
- The guy selling kits and manuals for "how to run your car on zero-point energy". (Zero point energy is always a favorite with the perpetual motion crowd.)
- The water-powered car (or at least water-powered welding) was a huge media hit, even getting onto mainstream papers and TV stations.
- The Beck Mickle Hydro waterwheel supposedly generates 1-2 KW of power from just a 20cm drop in a stream; many smart people I know were excited about it, but someone on PES Wiki ran the numbers and calculated that there isn't 1 or 2 kW in streams that small to begin with.
- Steorn's Orbo has a classy, professional website, but with zero content, and a planned demonstration was called off at the eleventh hour.
- The "gear turbine" engine is such a mess I don't even know what to say about it.
- And of course, there's everybody's favorite, cold fusion.
(By the way, if anyone wants to share particularly fun lunatic fringe inventions in the comments, go for it!)
