Viktor Schauberger developed two experimental discoid motor designs, Repulsin A and Repulsin B, between 1940 and 1945 under forced collaboration with the Nazi regime during World War II. The Repulsin A model, constructed with copper components and a high-speed electric motor, had a diameter of 2.4 meters and was designed to utilize the Coanda effect and electro-dynamic principles to generate lift. Upon initial startup, the Repulsin A model rose violently, striking the laboratory ceiling and shattering into pieces, an incident that alarmed the SS and led to threats against Schauberger’s life, with suspicions of sabotage.
The Repulsin B model was developed as an improved version, incorporating a fixed upper membrane and a rotating lower membrane with 120 boomerang-shaped blades spaced 3 degrees apart around the rim. This design enhanced the implosion effect within the vortex chamber, generating stronger thrust than the centrifugal turbine used in Repulsin A. The mechanism relied on a suction screw-impeller that revolved from the outside toward the inside along a cycloid, spiral space curve, producing forces similar to those seen in twisters, cyclones, and typhoons through suction or implosion. The vortex chamber also acted as a high electrostatic generator due to air particles in high-speed motion serving as electrical charge transporters, resulting in ionization and a visible glow during operation.
Schauberger claimed that the combined effects of the Coanda effect and the electro-dynamic (diamagnetic) effect created what he termed the “implosion effect,” which could generate lift and potentially power a craft with minimal external energy input. The Repulsin B was reportedly intended for use in a bio-submarine design, nicknamed the “Forelle” (Trout), due to its fish-like shape with a gaping mouth. Work on the Repulsin B continued through 1944 at the Technical College of Engineering in Rosenhügel, Vienna, but the project was ultimately abandoned as the SS shifted focus to other technologies, such as the Flugkreisel, a flying disc prototype.
After the war, the remaining Repulsin motors were confiscated by Allied forces, with some reports suggesting they were taken by the Russians and Americans. Despite pressure from the US and AVRO Canada to continue development, Schauberger refused to participate in military projects and instead dedicated his later life to peaceful applications of vortex technology, including water and air purification systems. The ultimate fate of the Repulsin prototypes remains uncertain, with speculative claims that some were transported to South America or submerged in Austrian lakes, though no verified evidence confirms these theories.