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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Scientists Build a Motor Without Magnets Using a “Forgotten” Electric Force

When we think about electricity making things move, we usually imagine attraction. Positive and negative charges pull toward each other. This pulling effect—called electrostatic force—is one of the first concepts we learn in physics.

But here’s the surprising truth: this attractive force is usually too weak to power the machines we use every day.

That’s why electric fans, washing machines, and even electric cars do not use simple electrostatic attraction to rotate. Instead, they rely on magnetic fields. Electricity flows through coils, creates magnetism, and magnetic forces make the motor spin. This design has worked reliably for more than a century.

Now, scientists in Japan have discovered something extraordinary. A force once believed to be too small to use has been transformed into a powerful motion-driving mechanism. And it works—without magnets.

🔬 A New Kind of Electric Liquid

In 2017, researchers identified a special material known as a ferroelectric fluid. Unlike ordinary liquids, this fluid reacts very strongly to electrical voltage.

To understand why this matters, let’s simplify.

In normal materials, when voltage is applied, molecules shift slightly. The resulting force is usually small. But in a ferroelectric fluid, the molecules don’t just shift—they align in an organized way under an electric field. This alignment dramatically increases the material’s response to electricity.

Because of this strong reaction, devices that once required dangerously high voltages can now operate at much lower, safer levels.

But the real breakthrough came when scientists examined something that most researchers had ignored for decades.

➡️ The “Sideways” Electric Force No One Used

When voltage is applied between two electrodes, we expect forces to act in the same direction as the electric field—straight from one electrode to the other.

However, physics predicts something else: a small force that acts perpendicular to the electric field. This is sometimes described as a transverse electrostatic force or a type of Maxwell stress.

For over 100 years, scientists knew this sideways force existed in theory. But in ordinary materials, it was so weak that it seemed useless for practical applications.

So it was largely ignored.

Until now.

🧪 The Experiment That Changed Everything

At the Institute of Science Tokyo, Specially Appointed Professor Suzushi Nishimura and his research team decided to take a closer look at this overlooked force.

Their findings were published in Communications Engineering.

The team placed a ferroelectric fluid between two electrodes separated by only a few millimeters. When they applied voltage, something remarkable happened.

The liquid did not just respond along the direction of the electric field.

It moved sideways.

And not just slightly—it traveled nearly 10 centimeters, even pushing against gravity.

When the same experiment was performed using ordinary liquids, nothing happened. The sideways motion appeared only in the ferroelectric fluid.

This was the first time scientists had clearly observed this force directly with the naked eye.

📈 Why This Force Is Different

Another major discovery was how the force behaved when voltage increased.

In conventional materials:

  • Increasing voltage does not easily produce a large force increase.

In ferroelectric fluids:

  • Even a small increase in voltage produced a proportional increase in sideways force.

This means electricity “works” differently inside this material.

The researchers found that the electric field causes the fluid’s molecules to align in a structured pattern. This organized molecular structure generates a surprisingly strong sideways pushing force.

And that led to a bold idea:

If the force can push sideways… could it make something rotate?

🔄 Building a Motor Without Magnets

Traditional motors depend on:

  • Magnets

  • Copper coils

  • Metal rotors

But Nishimura’s team wondered if rotation could be achieved using only this newly harnessed electrostatic force.

So they built a prototype motor.

No magnets.

No metal rotor.

Instead, they used a rotor made entirely of resin (plastic).

And it rotated.

The experiment confirmed that this sideways electrostatic force could drive rotational motion.

This challenges more than a century of motor design thinking.

🌍 Why This Matters for the Future

This discovery could reshape the way we design machines.

1️⃣ No Rare-Earth Magnets Required

Modern motors rely heavily on rare-earth metals, which are expensive and limited in supply. Eliminating magnets reduces dependence on these critical resources.

2️⃣ Lighter and Simpler Designs

Because the rotor can be made of resin instead of metal:

  • Devices can become lighter

  • Systems may respond more quickly

  • Manufacturing could become simpler

This is especially valuable in robotics, compact electronics, and precision systems.

3️⃣ Low Voltage = Safer Operation

Traditional electrostatic devices require extremely high voltages, which can be dangerous. Ferroelectric fluids allow operation at much lower voltages, improving safety and practicality.

4️⃣ No Magnetic Interference

Since the motor does not generate strong magnetic fields, it could be useful in environments where magnetic noise is a problem, such as:

  • Medical imaging equipment

  • Data storage systems

  • Sensitive electronic devices

🧠 A 100-Year-Old Prediction Finally Seen

Interestingly, the sideways electrostatic force was predicted theoretically more than a century ago. But until this experiment, no one had clearly demonstrated it in a visible and dramatic way.

Professor Nishimura described the moment:

“Our experiments suggested that a motor rotor might no longer need to be made of metal. It sounded hard to believe at first. But when we trusted the data and built a rotor made entirely of plastic, it really did rotate.”

He also reflected on witnessing a force that had existed only in equations for over 100 years:

“Becoming the first to see it directly was truly exciting. That is one of the great joys of being a researcher. Science is fun.”

🔮 What Comes Next?

This research is still at the prototype stage. The motors are not yet ready to replace those in cars or home appliances. But the principle has been proven.

Future work will likely focus on:

  • Improving efficiency

  • Scaling the technology

  • Enhancing durability

  • Integrating the system into real-world devices

If successful, this could open a new category of electric motors—ones powered directly by electrostatic forces rather than magnetism.

⚡ A New Chapter in Motion Technology

For over a century, magnetism has dominated motor technology. Electrostatic forces were considered too weak for practical use.

Now, a simple liquid has changed that assumption.

By revisiting a forgotten sideways force and studying it carefully, researchers have shown that under the right conditions, even a “too weak to matter” effect can become powerful enough to move objects—and even rotate motors.

It is a reminder that science often advances not by discovering entirely new laws, but by looking again at what we thought we already understood.

And sometimes, the force we ignored turns out to be the one that changes everything.

Reference: Tatsuhiro Tsukamoto et al, Huge transverse Maxwell stress in ferroelectric fluids and prototyping of new ferroelectric motors, Communications Engineering (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44172-025-00530-2

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