It turns out that the quantum vacuum may produce usable energy. In a perfect vacuum, virtual particles are constantly being created and destroyed. Now some quantum physicists believe it may be possible to harness the energy of these virtual particles, without violating the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Are we on the verge of a new technological revolution that will unify energy production, computation and communications in a single quantum-based technology?
The Second Law of Thermodynamics says that you have to return any energy you borrow from the universe -- it's not possible to get a "net positive energy gain." But what if there is an infinite amount of energy in the universe, rather than a finite quantity? I have invested in a stealth venture that is seeking to build a device that can tap this so-called "zero point energy" based on these ideas. What's interesting about all this is the potential for a "Grand Unified Technology" -- a single technology for generating energy, computing, and communication. Energy is created using the zero point field; computing takes place via quantum computing; communication takes places using quantum encryption and/or non-local quantum correlations (EPR). Propulsion could also be enabled by the same quantum level technology. This would give us infinite amounts of energy at near perfect efficiency, combined with the capability to do infinite computations in finite time, and the ability to conduct perfectly secure light-speed or even faster-than-light communications. Companies such as MagiQ are already rolling out commercial quantum communications networks (albeit light-speed, but it's a good start!). Several projects, including MagiQ, are also working on quantum computing and I would expect commercial devices to be available in 30 years or less. As for ZPE energy production from the quantum vacuum, we are on the verge of it -- I predict commercial devices in 15 years or less.
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