Technology: Batteries

Irish firm claims to have created "free energy" technology. Batteries that give out more energy than you put in. The company, Steorn, took out an ad in the Economist (does anyone read the Economist who isn't flying transatlantic?) challenging the world's scientists to investigate their claims. They have a video too. Neither chap seems very credible - there's something about the way they move their mouths when they talk. And the analogy of "if you walk up a hill, and then walk back down, you've gained energy" - what???

So it a hoax? Fraud? (Steorn says they also "address counterfeit crime in areas such as plastic card fraud and optical disc fraud".) PR stunt for some other business? We'll see.