[hobotime]

Basically, this is just a fancy version of a 1950's z-pinch experiment that works slightly better by stabilizing the pinch. Heck, the setup they have currently working is a rehash of the 40 year-old equipment they moved from the University of Washington.

They just made it work slightly better enough to keep Zap on the seed-round investor gravy train.

Z-pinch/Zap is so far away from break even it's not even funny, and they're nowhere near close to capturing enough energy from high-energy neutrons to even power itself. Basically right now it's a 99.99% useful energy loss in their whole system.

And it will stay that way. Just need to keep making pretty photos to keep the investors ignorant.

Notice how they polished the fuck out of all their equipment? Make it shiny.

[asdfadsfgfdda]

or its shiny because vacuum hardware is routinely electropolished?

[hobotime]

Zaps shop floor and the exterior of the equipment doesn't need clean room conditions. Inside the chamber, they do a good job after a teardown, but even then it gets contaminated really quickly with the tiny amount of fusion byproducts.

They are working on a liquid metal container to help with keeping things clean, but frankly in my opinion its just something to keep investors away from asking why there's no possible roadmap to net-energy production.

Q: When are you going to be able to make energy? A: Good question! Have you seen our new animation... liquid metal!!!!1! it's awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gswKKY1p2ps