Sci-Tech: Investment group buys rights to Andrea Rossi’s E-Cat Technology

An affiliate of the reputable Cherokee investment group of North Carolina has bought the rights to Andrea Rossi’s nickel/hydrogen energy devices, which are based on an unexplained LENR (Low Energy Nuclear Reactions)/Cold Fusion process. The Industrial Heat, LLC  announcement is shown below. They were convinced of the validity of large net energy production from Rossi’s devices by the study released last spring by a group from Uppsala University in Sweden and the Univ. of Bologna in Italy  (see the post here and the comments), as well as by tests of their own personnel and an independent expert. (The Uppsala/Bologna group said last year that they would begin a longer investigation in the fall so they are probably to ones doing a study that Rossi says is underway now.)

Here is some background to Cherokee and the Industrial Heat companies: Confirmed: Raleigh’s Cherokee buys into controversial nuclear tech device – Triangle Business Journal.

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Industrial Heat Has Acquired Andrea Rossi’s E-Cat Technology

RESEARCH TRIANGLE, N.C., Jan. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Industrial Heat, LLC announced today that it has acquired the rights to Andrea Rossi’s Italian low energy nuclear reaction (LENR) technology, the Energy Catalyzer (E-Cat).  A primary goal of the company is to make the technology widely available, because of its potential impact on air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels and biomass.

“The world needs a new, clean and efficient energy source. Such a technology would raise the standard of living in developing countries and reduce the environmental impact of producing energy,” said JT Vaughn speaking on behalf of Industrial Heat (IH).

Mr. Vaughn confirmed IH acquired the intellectual property and licensing rights to Rossi’s LENR device after an independent committee of European scientists conducted two multi-day tests at Rossi’s facilities in Italy.

The published report by the European committee concluded, “Even by the most conservative assumptions as to the errors in the measurements, the result is still one order of magnitude greater than conventional energy sources” [referring to energy output per unit of mass]. The report is available online at http://arxiv.org/abs/1305.3913. In addition, performance validation tests were conducted in the presence of IH personnel and certified by an independent expert.

Since acquiring Rossi’s technology, IH has engaged in a broad-based effort to protect it by preparing numerous patent applications related to the core technology as well as associated designs and uses.

Tom Darden, who co-founded Cherokee Investment Partners, a series of private equity funds specializing in cleaning up pollution, is a founding investor in Industrial Heat. He is one of a small group of like-minded investors who are supporting this technology because it could significantly address a number of social and environmental challenges. They have committed to make it broadly available because of its potential for impact.  IH is considering partnerships with industry participants, universities and NGO’s to ensure the technology is developed in a thoughtful and responsible manner.

JT Vaughn manages Industrial Heat. He is the founder of Cherokee McDonough Challenge, an accelerator for environmental startups, and a leader in the startup community in the Research Triangle.

Companies or organizations interested in partnering with Industrial Heat should reach out to JT Vaughn at info@industrialheat.co.

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There was a week long symposium last summer at the University of Missouri on LENR. Videos of the presentations are available here. Here is one of Dr. Robert Duncan who organized the conference. He first got involved in this area when the CBS 60 Minutes program asked him to give an independent review of some cold fusion projects that they were reporting on. He was so intrigued by what he saw that he began his own research into the field and founded an institute at UM to sponsor such research.

And here is a recent interview with Mike McKubre of the SRI  (a huge R&D organization funded by several utilities) who has been working on cold fusion since the Pons/Fleishman days:

FISO: Innovative robotic systems for in-space operations – UMD SSL

The latest presentation to the Future In-Space Operations (FISO) study group is now posted in the FISO Working Group Presentations Archive. Both slides (pdf) and audio (mp3) are available for the talk, Innovative Robotic Systems for In-Space Operations, Dave Akin, U. Maryland – Jan.22.14

Akin reviews the many robotic projects at the Univ. of Maryland Space Systems Lab. Here is a sampling of his slides:

MIODSSdexterousServicer

SmallSatServicingIssues

ClosingThoughts

MoreClosingThoughts

Space policy roundup – Jan.25.14

John Kavanagh created this excellent timeline of major events since 2001 in the development of human spaceflight systems in the USA : Struggle for 21st Century U.S. Human Spaceflight Capabilities – Timeline

More space policy/politics related links:

 

Space policy roundup – Jan.24.14

The Explore Mars organization sponsored a recent workshop in DC:

Workshop Report WASHINGTON, DC — January 14, 2014 — A global working group of more than sixty leaders from more than thirty government, industry and academic organizations issued a joint statement today announcing consensus that a human mission to Mars is both feasible and affordable assuming policy consistency among international space agencies and levels of funding consistent with pre-sequestration levels and modest increases annually in line with inflation… View Report

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The latest selection of space policy related links: