Buzz
Our world is filled with gadgets operating on well-established scientific principles. Yet, there are forgotten realms of scientific exploration and products born from confused or fantastical thinking, often with an engineering twist, resulting in remarkable machines that defy conventional physical laws.
10. Electromechanical Random Number Generators
During a time when psychic abilities were thought to be measurable under scientific conditions, significant effort was dedicated to devising methods to quantify such powers. It was crucial to ensure that participants couldn’t predict or compute test outcomes through ordinary means. Simple tests, such as those involving Zener cards, were criticized for being susceptible to non-ESP tricks like card counting and issues like poor shuffling. Parapsychologists also feared that other psychic abilities, such as telekinesis or mind-reading, could interfere with ESP test results.
Initially, computer-generated random number tables, like the Rand Table of a Million Random Digits, were employed but eventually lost popularity. Another approach involved rolling a 10-sided die 12 times to generate four three-digit numbers. These numbers were multiplied sequentially, and the final product was multiplied backward by itself. While not entirely foolproof, this method was deemed sufficient by many.
The 1970s marked a significant advancement in randomization techniques with the introduction of electromagnetic random number generators. These devices, which could interface with other systems to collect, store, and retrieve data, utilized natural randomness sources like strontium-60 or Zener diodes. The resulting fluctuating electromagnetic field influenced electromechanical systems, such as alternating flip-flop circuits, to produce outcomes immune to conventional fraud or non-psychic manipulation. However, concerns lingered about the potential for “super-psi” abilities to interfere with experimental results.
9. Spiricom
In the 1970s, retired engineer George Meek set out to create technology for communicating with the deceased, inspired by electronic voice phenomena, where spirits allegedly communicated through radio waves. Meek theorized that the physical world was linked to multiple spiritual realms—lower, middle, and higher astral planes, followed by mental, causal, and celestial levels. He believed each plane had a unique resonant frequency accessible via radio technology.
Beginning in 1979, George Meek collaborated with medium Bill O’Neil to create the Spiricom, a device designed for spirit communication. It featured 13 tone generators covering the frequency range of an adult male voice, paired with a 29-megahertz AM transmitter and receiver connected to a speaker. The setup was enclosed in a Faraday cage to block external interference. A cassette recorder placed across the room captured alleged spirit voices, which were said to modulate radio frequencies to resemble human speech. Both O’Neil and the spirits communicated in a peculiar buzzing manner.
The Spiricom was reportedly developed with guidance from the late NASA scientist George Mueller, who communicated with Meek during a séance. O’Neil also interacted with a spirit named “Dr. Nick,” a self-proclaimed ham radio enthusiast, along with several other spirits. Over 20 hours of conversations with Dr. Mueller were recorded, despite occasional technical glitches and interruptions from other spirits. One such dialogue transcript reads:
Doc Mueller: William, I think that’s much better. Right there, William. Now, William, did you understand? Williammmmmm? Bill O’Neil: Yes sir, I understand Doctor. Doc Mueller: Very well, I will give you a count from one to ten. One, two, three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine, ten. One moment, William. Bill O’Neil: Okay. Doc Mueller: Very well, then. Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went the lamb would goooooo. Goooooo. Play that back for me, William. [Pause] William? Bill O’Neil: Yes, sir? Doc Mueller: Play that back for me. Bill O’Neil: All right, Doctor. I am sorry, I was lighting a cigarette. Doc Mueller: Oh, those cigarettes again!
The Spiricom’s design was later released to the public, allowing anyone to build their own. Modern compact versions have been developed using affordable FM transmitters and CD-ROM recordings. However, no one has replicated the success of Meek and O’Neil. Supporters argue that only individuals with specific psychic abilities can effectively operate the device.
8. God Helmet
Originally called the “Koren Helmet,” this device was created by Stan Koren and Michael A. Persinger at Laurentian University. It aims to evoke religious experiences by generating weak magnetic fields, comparable to those of a landline phone or hair dryer. Known as the God Helmet, it is a modified skin helmet equipped with solenoids connected to the skull via electrodes. Persinger asserts that this alters the electromagnetic field in the temporal lobes, with the left lobe interpreting the activity as a sensed presence, often perceived as divine or demonic. Users have reported visions of other realms, astral projection, and intense emotions like euphoria, fear, anxiety, and arousal.
Persinger stated:
So far, around 20 individuals have reported sensing Christ’s presence or even seeing him in the [experimental chamber]. Most equated Christ with God and were older, religious individuals. One 35-year-old man, a self-proclaimed atheist with a Roman Catholic upbringing, saw a vivid apparition of Christ staring directly at him, leaving him deeply unsettled. I didn’t follow up on any behavioral changes. These are anecdotal reports. However, with a world-renowned psychic who experiences Christ as part of his abilities, we could experimentally increase or decrease his experiences by applying the LTP pattern (derived from the hippocampus) over his right hemisphere without his knowledge. The response delay was 10 to 20 seconds, and the optimal pattern appeared highly “right hippocampal.” Most presences are attributed to deceased relatives, spiritual forces, or similar entities.
Persinger theorizes that religious experiences might stem from natural electromagnetic phenomena, such as weather patterns or meteor showers. When skeptic Richard Dawkins tested the helmet, he expressed disappointment at not encountering God, noting only physical sensations in his limbs and breathing. A Swedish study failed to replicate the effects, suggesting that earlier results might have been influenced by suggestibility and sensory deprivation.
The doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo used a modified version of the helmet, claiming it could sync users with the brainwaves of their messiah, Shoko Asahara. This was a key component of their “Perfect Salvation Initiation” ritual, costing participants one million yen monthly.
7. ASCID
Researchers Jean Houston and Robert Masters created a device designed to induce trance states through three-dimensional movement. Inspired by the medieval “witch’s cradle,” which was used to alter consciousness and enhance imagination (and possibly for torture), they named it the “Altered States of Consciousness Induction Device” (ASCID). The device combines sensory deprivation with a free-moving support system to disrupt spatial and kinesthetic awareness. Users reported vivid hallucinations with dream-like qualities, often featuring mystical, religious, or sci-fi themes, as well as a distorted perception of time.
One source describes the device in a somewhat cryptic manner:
The device is essentially a metal swing or pendulum where the subject stands upright, supported by canvas straps and wearing blindfolded goggles. The apparatus moves side-to-side, forward and backward, and rotates based on the subject’s movements. Within two to twenty minutes, the subject enters an altered state of consciousness or trance. The depth of the trance varies from light to profoundly somnambulistic, with most subjects experiencing vivid eidetic imagery, sensory hallucinations, and phenomena akin to trance or psychedelic drug states. Unlike hypnotic trances, the subject experiences a high degree of autonomy and spontaneity—essentially embarking on their own journey.
Houston and Masters eventually stopped using the device due to reports of misuse and addiction to the trance-like experiences it induced. Houston remarked, “People became hooked on it and even refused to explore their inner states without first using the device.”
6. Energy Polarizer
In the mid-1980s, Australian racing icon Peter Brock sought to cope with the trauma of a fatal Porsche crash at Le Mans that claimed the life of a flag marshal. Influenced by his third wife, Bev, he turned to chiropractor and spiritual guide Eric Dowker, who performed an exorcism to remove the marshal’s spirit and recommended lifestyle changes like vegetarianism, exercise, and the use of energy crystals.
At the time, Brock was exploring innovative car designs under his HDT Special Vehicles contract with Holden and sought Dowker’s input. The result was the Energy Polarizer, a plastic box filled with magnets, crystals, and loose wires encased in resin. Brock claimed it aligned the car’s molecules, enhancing performance and smoothness. The concept was rooted in the pseudoscientific theory of Orgone energy, pioneered by William Reich in the 1930s.
While Holden and most engineers dismissed the device as ineffective, Brock remained convinced of its efficacy, arguing that the necessary testing technology didn’t yet exist and that full validation would cost $75,000. The disagreement escalated when Holden refused to approve cars equipped with the Polarizer, and Brock refused to remove it. This led to Brock losing control of HDT and spending the next decade racing BMWs and Fords. In 2011, replicas of the Energy Polarizer were featured in a limited-edition car line honoring Brock.
5. Kozyrev Mirrors
Russian astrophysicist Nikolai Kozyrev proposed several unconventional theories, possibly influenced by Russian cosmism, that diverge from mainstream scientific understanding. He posited the existence of a “torsional energy field” beyond electromagnetism and gravity, moving faster than light, which he termed the “flow of time.”
Kozyrev stated, “Time is nature’s most crucial and mysterious attribute. Unlike light waves, time does not propagate; it exists simultaneously everywhere. Any change in a moment of time manifests instantly across the universe, linking all things and beings.”
Kozyrev also theorized that time’s density fluctuates, increasing near the receiver of an action and decreasing near the sender. He claimed to measure these variations using instruments like gyroscopes, asymmetrical pendulums, and torsion balances. He believed these fluctuations explained phenomena like psychokinesis and telepathy, and that factors like weather, seasons, biological growth, gravity, and material density influenced time’s density. He argued that aluminum, in particular, could shield and reflect time effectively.
After Kozyrev’s death, researchers V.P. Kaznacheev and A.V. Trofimov continued his work in the 1990s. They constructed rooms with aluminum-lined mirrors for telepathy experiments, claiming these setups improved accuracy by three to six times. They theorized that the mirrors amplified torsion waves or “time.” During remote tests, observers reported seeing disc-shaped light phenomena in the night sky.
Some believe Kozyrev mirrors form an enclosed space that reduces Earth’s magnetic influence, allowing humans to access solar and galactic information. Reports suggest the Institute for Scientific Research in Cosmic Anthropoecology (ISRICA) has used these mirrors for energy-flow sessions, aiming to train individuals as mediators for the Galactic Community.
4. AMI Device
After his health declined post-45, Japanese scientist Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama turned to yoga, claiming it channeled ki energy into his body. To convince skeptical peers, he attempted to measure ki using EEG and ECG scans but found the results unsatisfactory. This led him to invent the Apparatus for Meridian Identification (AMI), also known as the Life Energy Analyzer, a device designed to “assess the function of Meridians and their associated internal organs.”
The AMI evaluates electrical conductivity, capacitance, and polarization of skin tissue and fluids at specific acupuncture points on the fingers and toes (Sei or Jing/Well points). This data allegedly reveals the state of the meridians and their corresponding organs (lungs, large intestine, heart, etc.), identifies imbalances in ki energy, tracks the impact of acupuncture, meditation, and exercise on ki, and detects active chakras in the body.
Motoyama’s device has been utilized to assess ESP abilities, based on the theory that individuals with balanced or elevated ki energy levels perform better in ESP tests. Motoyama highlighted that specific meridians, particularly those linked to the gastric, spleen-pancreas, and triple heater functions, are crucial for ESP research. While no direct link was found between ki levels and ESP, there was a notable correlation between gastric-related meridian activity and extrasensory perception.
3. Dean Space Drive
In the 1950s, Norman Dean, a retired civil servant and amateur inventor, claimed to have developed a method to convert rotational energy into unidirectional force. His invention, the Dean Space Drive, featured two counter-rotating masses, each weighing 200 grams (7 oz), rotating on shafts with shifting centers of rotation.
Dean explained, “At a specific phase-angle during rotation, the horizontal forces cancel out, leaving a vertical force equal to the weight of the masses. At that moment, the structure can move upward without applying force to the masses.” However, this concept contradicts Newton’s Third Law of Motion, which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Dean’s drive appeared to generate action without any reaction.
John W. Campbell, editor of Astounding Science Fiction, was a major advocate of the technology, though he admitted neither he nor Dean fully understood its theoretical basis. He proposed a thought experiment where a reaction-less drive could transform a nuclear submarine into a spacecraft. He wrote, “The ship would effortlessly rise from the sea, ascend vertically at a constant 1,000 cm/sec/sec, loop halfway to Mars, and decelerate at the same rate for the remainder of the journey.”
Campbell wasn’t alone in his enthusiasm: Popular Mechanics also indulged in wild speculation. They envisioned the technology enabling trucks to deliver goods to skyscraper rooftops, navigate hazardous swamps, demolish walls, and propel humanity into space. Despite seemingly defying physics, the magazine boldly stated, “Regardless of whether the laws of physics allow it, Norman Dean’s Space Drive operates.”
Dean’s patents provided insufficient details, and engineers reviewing the designs concluded the device was nonfunctional. A recent NASA report classified the Dean Drive as an oscillation thruster, a type of mechanical antigravity device. The fundamental issue is that converting rotational motion into unidirectional force is impossible. As the mass rotates, each segment passes through the same point at the same velocity, resulting in no net linear momentum without an external force. The device only appears to move when placed on the floor, relying on internal vibrations and floor friction for minimal, jerky motion.
2. Biometre, De Tromelin Cylinder, And Sthenometer
In the 19th century, many scientists believed humans and animals emitted a psychokinetic field, equated with the soul or spirit. Hippolyte Baraduc invented the biometre, a device featuring a nonmagnetic isothermal needle on a 360-degree marked board. Subjects placed their hands on the board, and Baraduc interpreted the needle’s movements to assess their mental and emotional state. He claimed the biometre could diagnose illnesses mathematically and explain miraculous healings, which he attributed to a divine force or fluid called “salutary dew.”
Count de Tromelin created a similar device to measure psychokinetic energy, featuring a paper cylinder with a straw crosspiece balanced on a fine point. He asserted that human willpower could influence the straw’s movement when placed nearby. Critics, however, argued that the motion could result from air currents or heat from the hand.
Paul Joire addressed the issue of air currents by inventing the sthenometer, a device with a 360-degree dial and a lightweight needle or straw pointer enclosed under glass. He observed that the needle moved toward a human hand when placed close to it, as well as toward materials like cardboard, wood, linen, and water, but not toward tinfoil, iron, or cotton. While Joire believed this demonstrated an external psychokinetic field, other scientists attributed the effect to radiating body heat.
1. Psychotronic Generators
In the 1970s, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency grew concerned over reports from Czechoslovakia and the Soviet bloc suggesting the West was lagging in psychic technology development. Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed the DIA’s fears: “If the Soviet claims hold any truth, and if mind-to-mind communication can enable interplanetary communication or spacecraft guidance, the Soviets have achieved a monumental scientific breakthrough.”
Czech parapsychologist Robert Pavlita was believed to be a key figure in this research, developing devices known as psychotronic generators. A lead designer at a textile plant, Pavlita patented a process that provided him with royalties, allowing him to dedicate time to studying ancient alchemical texts in pursuit of esoteric knowledge to construct his inventions.
The generators came in various forms, from steel rings and wooden cabinets to intricate metalwork pieces the size of a paperback. Their designs allegedly harnessed different aspects of the body’s bio-energy, releasing it through mechanical, electromagnetic, or other unexplained means. Powered by the user’s mental energy combined with the generator’s design, they were theoretically accessible to anyone, allowing them to utilize the technology.
Stanley Krippner, a fringe scientist known for his work on auras and kirlian photography, reported witnessing demonstrations of Pavlita’s generators in 1974. He claimed Pavlita could move compass needles, manipulate magnetism, magnetize wood, and control objects with a touch. Pavlita also reportedly possessed a generator capable of killing flies remotely, though he avoided further experiments with it. He envisioned numerous applications for the technology, including biological communication, medical diagnostics, enhancing plant growth, water purification, and more.
The DIA viewed the generators as a potential security threat, citing experiments where they killed flies and caused Pavlita’s daughter to feel dizzy and lose balance. The agency warned that “Soviet or Czech advancements in psychotronic weapons could severely endanger military, embassy, or security operations.”
Pavlita’s secrecy hindered further research into the technology until his death in the early 1990s, leading some to suspect it was all deception. A former colleague speculated that the generators functioned like talismans, storing the user’s mental energy and releasing it in various ways. He likened their operation to voodoo principles, suggesting they worked on a similar mystical basis.
