07
8
A University of Florida researcher is designing a flying saucer that uses the surrounding air as its fuel. The aircraft’s skin will be studded with electrodes that ionize the air, converting it into plasma. Mechanical and aerospace engineering associate professor Subrata Royh hopes to have a six inch working prototype in the next year.
Using an onboard source of energy (such as a battery, ultracapacitor, solar panel or any combination thereof), the electrodes will send an electrical current into the plasma, causing the plasma to push against the neutral (noncharged) air surrounding the craft, theoretically generating enough force for liftoff and movement in different directions (depending on where on the craft’s surface you direct the electrical current)…
Theoretically, Roy says, the flying saucer can be as large as anyone wants to build it, because the design gives the aircraft [...]