Another technology poised to change the world: the O-Cube

[Snail2]

First thing I´d check is whether this "pulls energy from the environment" concept works in a dark room, ie. without the influence of light.  

It could. Just google the keyword "rectenna design" and you will find plenty of papers and actual designs about how to extract "free energy" from your neighbours wifi networks .

I guess you need to charge a free capacitor to make that free energy usable. Anyway, how much is your neighbor´s wifi supposed to yield? Can a day´s worth charge your phone for longer than five seconds?

Not much of course, these are mostly "proof of concept" designs for future wireless energy transmission/distribution solutions. BTW if you living next to a big radio mast or a radar station you can extract considerable amount of "waste energy" from the "thin air". Considerable means that you can run your whole lighting and some small appliances from this free energy source . Once I've seen a demonstration with 7 100W bulbs powered by a bunch of coils at about 1km distance from a 2MW radio mast.
(But living in such places might not the most healthy thing.)

[galdur]

First thing I´d check is whether this "pulls energy from the environment" concept works in a dark room, ie. without the influence of light.  

It could. Just google the keyword "rectenna design" and you will find plenty of papers and actual designs about how to extract "free energy" from your neighbours wifi networks .

I guess you need to charge a free capacitor to make that free energy usable. Anyway, how much is your neighbor´s wifi supposed to yield? Can a day´s worth charge your phone for longer than five seconds?

Not much of course, these are mostly "proof of concept" designs for future wireless energy transmission/distribution solutions. BTW if you living next to a big radio mast or a radar station you can extract considerable amount of "waste energy" from the "thin air". Considerable means that you can run your whole lighting and some small appliances from this free energy source . Once I've seen a demonstration with 7 100W bulbs powered by a bunch of coils at about 1km distance from a 2MW radio mast.
(But living in such places might not the most healthy thing.)

But charging phones and laptop batteries costs next to nothing. I doubt that it costs me more than 50 cents A YEAR to charge my phone and of course it´s even less because more often than not it´s done where I spend time out of my home.

Now; this device, which is the topic, can supposedly charge 2-3 phones for free per day and it costs 1200 euros plus shipping. That´s a ROI of what, 800 years. Maybe only 400 years, let´s be excessively positive about this nonsense.

[medUSA]

Assuming the technology is real, the cell can in fact "take energy from nature" and convert it to electricty, it would take days or weeks to absorb enough energy to charge a phone. A phone takes 2 amps of 5 volts to charge, 2 amps is a lot of current to generate. I watched the video, and I couldn't help noticing the voltage generated is in the range of radio noise picked up by our bodies. It also took 3 minutes to charge up that small capacitor, so current would be very small.

[galdur]

Assuming the technology is real, the cell can in fact "take energy from nature" and convert it to electricty, it would take days or weeks to absorb enough energy to charge a phone. A phone takes 2 amps of 5 volts to charge, 2 amps is a lot of current to generate. I watched the video, and I couldn't help noticing the voltage generated is in the range of radio noise picked up by our bodies. It also took 3 minutes to charge up that small capacitor, so current would be very small.

Yeah, the ROI could be 20,000 years for all I know. But according to themselves it seems to be under 1,000 years which probably is attractive to some people.

Pay 1200 euros, get a FREE cup of coffee every third year for the rest of your life, I wonder how many idiots would fall for that...

[Snail2]

But charging phones and laptop batteries costs next to nothing. I doubt that it costs me more than 50 cents A YEAR to charge my phone and of course it´s even less because more often than not it´s done where I spend time out of my home.

Now; this device, which is the topic, can supposedly charge 2-3 phones for free per day and it costs 1200 euros plus shipping. That´s a ROI of what, 800 years. Maybe only 400 years, let´s be excessively positive about this nonsense.

Yes, you are absolutely right on the ROI. That's why I said earlier this stuff is grossly overpriced. BTW you can't buy it right now but you can read a bunch of awesome claims, you can see photos, you can pre-order it for a fortune... Isn't it a familiar feeling (BFL, ActiveMining, etc.)?

[Marbit]

Bitcoin isn't the only recently developed technology that is about disrupt a major industry and change the world.

This time it's about the energy industry.

"Steorn's Orbo power cell products are now available for sale:

The Orbo power cell pulls energy from the environment, so it's a small solid state power station that never has to be recharged or plugged in. Two products now available for pre-order are the OPhone and the OCube tablet and phone charger. By Summer, they'll have an e-cigarette and computer controller that never have to be plugged in. ..."

http://pesn.com/2015/12/03/9602697_Steorns-Orbo-power-cell_products-available-for-sale/

Video:
https://www.facebook.com/thebatteryisdead/videos/vb.217496297671/10153385384347672/?type=2&theater

Sounds too good to be true. Energy in our age has huge value, and no business would allow it to be 'free'. It will always be monopolized and controlled, cause after all it's about the money.
This probably is a hoax, is what I'm trying to say.

[Mageant]

Just because the energy source of this device is not obvious does not mean it is necessarily a scam.

It might be that the device taps some previously unknown source or a source that has been thought to be unusable like dark energy or the quantum vacuum.

Science is always progressing.

[darkangel11]

This reminds me of that Turkish guy that supposedly made a self running magnetic motor. He announced he'll be selling them for €15k...
http://pesn.com/2014/11/27/9602575_Yildiz-establishes-joint-stock-company_to-start-production/

[Spendulus]

Just because the energy source of this device is not obvious does not mean it is necessarily a scam.

It might be that the device taps some previously unknown source or a source that has been thought to be unusable like dark energy or the quantum vacuum.

Science is always progressing.

this is, I assure you, not an example of science progressing.

Scams are always progressing...

[notbatman]

The name of this device points to a scam, "O" linking to the fake globe earth scam (the big lie) and "Cube" linking to the Satanic Saturn cube. A "wink wink" to those in the know.

[Beliathon]

If this isn't a sex gadget, this thread probably sucks.