Engineer invents a 'flying saucer'

GAINESVILLE, Fla., June 16 (UPI) -- A U.S. aerospace engineer has designed a plasma-propelled flying machine that looks much like the "flying saucers" depicted in numerous movies.

University of Florida mechanical and aerospace engineering Associate Professor Subrata Roy has submitted a patent application for his circular, spinning aircraft he calls a "wingless electromagnetic air vehicle," or WEAV. The prototype measures less than 6 inches in diameter and will be powered by on-board batteries but Roy said the design theoretically should work in a much larger form.

"This is a very novel concept and, if it's successful, it will be revolutionary," Roy said.

The vehicle will be powered by magnetohydrodynamics, or the force created when a current or a magnetic field is passed through a conducting fluid. In the case of Roy's aircraft, the conducting fluid will be created by electrodes covering the vehicle's surfaces that will ionize the surrounding air into plasma that, in turn, creates lift and momentum.

The U.S. Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have expressed interest in the aircraft and the university is seeking to license the design, he said.