grok summary of patent.
Patent family and core claim
Priority: US provisional 62/769,415 (19 Nov 2018).
Main grant: US11511891B2 (filed 19 Nov 2019 as US16/688,619).
Continuations / related: US20230121805A1 (CIP filed ~2022), US20240011469A1 (filed 2023), WO2020159603.
Inventors: Andrew Neil Aurigema, Charles Raymond Buhler IV (Exodus Propulsion Technologies / ept.space).
Core idea: Voltage difference applied to conductive surfaces produces an electric field and electrostatic pressure. Geometric asymmetry (proximal vs distal surfaces, blade-like features vs flat ground) yields a non-zero vector sum of pressure forces → net force on the object without mass expulsion. Magnitude depends on geometry, applied voltage, and dielectric in the gap. Nanoscale versions via carbon nanotubes contemplated. Propellantless thruster use-case highlighted.Patents.google
Standard electrostatic pressure is $ P = \frac12\epsilon_0 E^2 $ (or $ \frac12\epsilon E^2 $ with dielectric). Net force arises from imbalance of the integrated pressure vectors.
Quantitative details extracted from the patent
Example multi-blade test article (FIG. 21 / related description):
9 blades.
Blade height 0.25 in, spacing 0.25 in, length 4 in, thickness 0.05 in.
Gap between certain surfaces ~0.25 in.
Blades + back-plane coated with conductive paint; wire connection secured with epoxy.
Initial ground: copper tape 4″ × 2″ = 8 in²; later expanded to 3″ × 5″ = 15 in².
Dielectric fill: high-voltage epoxy (also references to polyimide, PTFE, styrofoam, RTV, HV putty).
Transparent variant: ITO on PET.
CNT electrodes discussed for nanoscale (CVD growth on Si, transfer to Al₂O₃ with silver paste).
Voltages / fields:
Tested up to +40 kVDC; concrete runs at +25 kV (and plots covering 10–35 kV, smoothed higher values).
Example E-field magnitudes in figures reach several ×10⁶ V/m.
Force data (patent examples / figures):
At +25 kV, net average force ~237 µN on the described article.
Larger ground area (15 in²) raised average to ~421 µN (factor ~1.77–1.
.
Other figure values span tens to hundreds of µN / low mN range (e.g., 0.1–90 mN scale annotations, 118.7 mN in one plot, COMSOL gap-sweep results up to ~0.2 N class under idealized conditions).
Force scales roughly as V²; increases as gap decreases (COMSOL three-blade example) until breakdown.
Geometry optimization (triangular protrusions on ground, FEMM + MATLAB loop) claimed up to ~6× force improvement relative to flat before Faraday shielding dominates.
Test resolution cited ~0.1 mN; pendulum / string-to-force-meter setups; plastic-bag enclosure to suppress ion wind.
Equations / relations (from patent text):
Time-dependent momentum form $ P(t)\propto\int E^2\,dt $.
Force $ F(t)=\frac{d}{dt}\bigl(\epsilon_0\int E^2\,dt\bigr) $ (includes conservative + possible radiative contributions for time-varying fields).
Sinusoidal drive $ E(t)=E_0\sin(\omega t+\phi) $ yields phase-dependent average force (constructive near 90° phase, enhancement factor ~3× cited in example). Force still scales as $ E_0^2 $; no strong frequency dependence in steady state.
Other geometries: single-stage and multi-stage opposing surfaces; proximal/distal blade configurations; triangular protuberances; stacked asymmetrical capacitors; cylindrical/disk variants; “T-blade” class later emphasized by the team (parallel plates + fins that concentrate field at tips while the flat side carries higher pressure-area product).
Simulation tools used by inventors: COMSOL Multiphysics (force vs gap), FEMM (E-field), MATLAB post-processing / iterative geometry optimization.
ept.space / media and public claims
ept.space describes T-Blade thruster testing, electrostatic-pressure measurements in vacuum, and ongoing laboratory work on the patented “Exodus Effect.” Media page itself yields little additional quantitative content. Public statements (APEC presentations, interviews) claim progressive improvement from µN-scale to forces sufficient to counter 1 g on the test article (2023), with ~1 500–2 000 test articles and vacuum-chamber data; highest stacked-system numbers quoted in the ~10 mN class in some reports. Claims include persistence after power removal in some runs. Company emphasizes isolation from ion wind, thermal, cable, vibration, and electrostatic-attraction artifacts.Ept
YouTube / presentation links (representative):
Lab walkthrough / APEC material:
https://youtu.be/oL9KfzydVhg and related APEC timestamps.
Aurigema interviews (e.g., “Can The Exodus Effect Produce Propellantless Space Propulsion?”).
Additional APEC / American Alchemy style discussions circulating 2024–2026.
Classical electrostatic simulations (FEM / BEM / FDTD / MoM) on patent geometries
Patent already contains COMSOL (FEM) gap sweeps and FEMM + MATLAB geometry optimization. Independent classical electrostatic calculations recover the expected results:
Parallel-plate pressure $ P=\frac12\epsilon_0 E^2 $ is balanced; net force ≈ 0 (neglecting fringing).
Blade / fin + flat-ground asymmetry produces a differential pressure-area product. Net force direction is toward the higher-pressure (usually flatter, larger-area) side.
Force ∝ V² and rises as gap shrinks until dielectric strength is exceeded.
Fringing and corner singularities are well-handled by FEM/BEM; FDTD or MoM can capture time-varying / RF cases.
Simple 2-D analytic or numerical models of a single blade facing a ground plane already show a non-zero integrated force of the same order of magnitude as the patent’s early µN–mN laboratory numbers when realistic gaps (mm-scale) and voltages (10–40 kV) are inserted. 3-D multi-blade arrays scale approximately with number of blades and ground area, consistent with the 8 in² → 15 in² experimental increase.
No classical electrostatic calculation produces a continuous center-of-mass force in free space that violates momentum conservation once all field momentum and image charges are accounted for; any residual must be explained by measurement artifact, dielectric polarization gradients, residual gas, or a claimed non-classical contribution. The patent and inventors assert the latter after extensive controls.
Author
Topic: Exodus Propulsion Tecnologies fuelless propulsion electrostatics. (Read 123 times)
