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MIT Researchers Fire Up the Ionic Thrusters

36 points by somid3 14y ago

sp332 14y ago
Is this any different from the ionic wind fans you can buy?
- cypher543 14y ago
  As far as I know, there's no such thing as an "ionic wind fan" on the market. If you're referring to "bladeless" Dyson fans, those actually still have blades in the base. And then there are fans with negative ion generators, but those still require blades to move the ionized air.
  - gliese1337 14y ago
    There's nothing marleted as a fan that I know of, but there are "ionic breeze" air purifiers that use the ionic wind effect to move air through the filter with no moving parts: http://www.amazon.com/Sharper-Image-Compact-Purifier-SI397/dp/B00007J5WC http://www.amazon.com/Sharper-Image-Compact-Purifier-SI397/d... They tend to make weird buzzing noises when they get dirty and make the room smell faintly of ozone.
- stephengillie 14y ago
  Do you mean ionic air purifiers? Do they work? http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-skeptic21apr21,0,6472148.story http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-skeptic21apr21,...
  - HCIdivision17 14y ago
    Impulsing off topic: It looks like they do work, just nowhere near the efficiency of a HEPA filter. Ionic filters certainly work in principle, but they really can't compete with devices with higher surface area (any fibrous air filter) or higher power (a CRT screen). Or the humongous surface area of the furniture of the room. Funnily, in the little clean room lab I worked in at college, we would occasionally run the vacuum cleaners for a few days because they had great HEPA filters, spot improving sensitive zones. Kinda noisy for home use, though.
mey 14y ago
Original press http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/ionic-thrusters-0403.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/ionic-thrusters-0403.html Additionally there is no working <del>model</del>craft, just theory at the moment. The science news cycle failing again. Edit: Model works, but it's not a flying self propelled craft yet.
- nolite 14y ago
  People have been building working models of these for over 50 years.. the theory is pretty well understood (Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) wind)
clayrichardson 14y ago
I remember first reading about these 'lifters' as a kid, and being overly fascinated with them: http://jnaudin.free.fr/lifters/main.htm http://jnaudin.free.fr/lifters/main.htm
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

36 points by somid3 14y ago

sp332 14y ago

Is this any different from the ionic wind fans you can buy?

cypher543 14y ago
As far as I know, there's no such thing as an "ionic wind fan" on the market. If you're referring to "bladeless" Dyson fans, those actually still have blades in the base. And then there are fans with negative ion generators, but those still require blades to move the ionized air.
- gliese1337 14y ago
  There's nothing marleted as a fan that I know of, but there are "ionic breeze" air purifiers that use the ionic wind effect to move air through the filter with no moving parts: http://www.amazon.com/Sharper-Image-Compact-Purifier-SI397/dp/B00007J5WC http://www.amazon.com/Sharper-Image-Compact-Purifier-SI397/d... They tend to make weird buzzing noises when they get dirty and make the room smell faintly of ozone.
stephengillie 14y ago
Do you mean ionic air purifiers? Do they work? http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-skeptic21apr21,0,6472148.story http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-skeptic21apr21,...
- HCIdivision17 14y ago
  Impulsing off topic: It looks like they do work, just nowhere near the efficiency of a HEPA filter. Ionic filters certainly work in principle, but they really can't compete with devices with higher surface area (any fibrous air filter) or higher power (a CRT screen). Or the humongous surface area of the furniture of the room. Funnily, in the little clean room lab I worked in at college, we would occasionally run the vacuum cleaners for a few days because they had great HEPA filters, spot improving sensitive zones. Kinda noisy for home use, though.

mey 14y ago

Original press http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/ionic-thrusters-0403.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/ionic-thrusters-0403.html Additionally there is no working <del>model</del>craft, just theory at the moment. The science news cycle failing again. Edit: Model works, but it's not a flying self propelled craft yet.

nolite 14y ago
People have been building working models of these for over 50 years.. the theory is pretty well understood (Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) wind)

clayrichardson 14y ago

I remember first reading about these 'lifters' as a kid, and being overly fascinated with them: http://jnaudin.free.fr/lifters/main.htm http://jnaudin.free.fr/lifters/main.htm

deleted 14y ago

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