been watching this with half an eye for a year or two, can't decide whether Rossi is PT Barnum or a genius. I am still skeptical but he sure talks a good game and a lot of people are interested http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-05/24/cold-fusion-research
It's a hoax. There are things that are certainly against our physics knowledge and extremely strong evidence would be needed to make me believe such extraordinary claims. The "evidence" we have smells horribly by fraud. Luboš Motl wrote a good article about this topic at http://motls.blogspot.cz/2013/05/tommaso-dorigo-impressed-by-cold-fusion.html#more
/agree until it is duplicated by the physics department of a reputable University I have to fall back on the "if it's too good to be true it probably isn't line of thought. bear in mind my knowledge of physics is weak compared to a lot of people but as we say in the south " that dog just doesn't hunt". I still like to google it just to see what is going on with it about every 3 or 4 months and thought it might get some discussion here
So far no demonstrator power plant. I've gone through the disintegration pathway from nickel to copper and on a crude level energy theoretically could be released...IF nickel could be induced to decay. But at the moment I'm just waiting for a real test. Like boil a beaker of water without any other input. None of this anomalous energy signature crap. Just no energy in, energy out, make me a cup of coffee! I really don't care HOW it works. Just show me a working reactor that can be mass produced. Is that so very hard to do? I've even got a bag of nickels ready!
I remember seeing stuff about this a while ago and reading back up on it, nothing seems to have changed. Most experts state that what is being claimed is inconsistent with current understanding, which doesn't mean it's not true but does mean it needs much more to back it up. The biggest sticking point is that Rossi seems to be going out of his way not to provide the evidence needed to support his claims. It should be easy enough to provide a device to an independent team at a reputable University and let them carry out their own tests and measurements but for some reason this has apparently never been done. On basic principals, we have to work on the basis that this is not true without much more supporting evidence.
I just want to add that claiming that it's inconsistent with our current understanding, but that it doesn't mean it's not true, is being scientifically open and non-dogmatic, as is should be. It doesn't mean it's likely to be true, it's in fact extremely unlikely, because the laws of physics it's inconsistent with. These laws aren't perfectly describing the nature, but they give very precise results in lots of different situations in certain space, time and energy scales. We can assume that anything that belongs to the certain range on these scales and should give results different in certain precision is not true. We can't say it for sure, but note that scientific standard is physics is often much better than what is commonly considered 'beyond reasonable doubt' in justice.
Extremely unlikely is a good way to put it. Discount nothing - suspect everything - ESPECIALLY claims that seem to violate the Conservation of Energy. Since energy of one type can be transformed into energy of a different type, we can get results that on the surface, SEEM to violate this immutable law of our universe. But without exception, upon close examination of the particular process, not only does it not violate C of E, but energy of some other type is consumed in making the process occur. "There's no such thing as a free lunch" applies in physics just as in politics. That never seems to stop clever deceivers from using them for plying their phony warez. Rest assured, E Cat hasn't rendered null and void any of the conservation laws of physics. People have been parading around mechanisms that claim to be exceptions for as long as fame and fortune have been sought after and extracting money from each other's pockets through deception has been a profitable form of endeavor. Deception is an art.
I'm voting hoax. If it were real, they wouldn't have insisted that the tests be done on their own premises.
It's fraud pure and simple, there's a host of these "free energy devices" and every single one is a hoax. And I can say that definitely, for sure, no doubt whatsoever.
Could he possibly be waiting for a patent pending before releasing his tech to others? I've not read much about this device so that may or may not even be a factor here.
