J
JBlack
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- #1
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A dowsing rod, concocted and advertised as being able to detect humans, fails to score better than random chance.
The entire article describing the test and the outcome is available at:
http://www.sandia.gov/LabNews/LN04-24-98/detector_story.html
Excerpts:
"...Although the empirical test was the core of the Sandia analysis, the Sandia team also briefly examined the DKL product literature about the advertised physics behind its operation. The product literature says the instrument antenna detects the electrical field generated by the beating human heart, but the Sandian team found the idea put forth for that process "clearly wrong."
The Sandians also point out that the heart beats at a rate of 1.2 to 2.0 hertz and the wavelength of two hertz is 93,150 miles. "The 15-inch antenna on the LifeGuard is entirely inadequate for receiving signals of that wavelength," they report.
Our evaluation of the DKL LifeGuard, although brief, leads us to conclude that the device performs no better than random chance. Although we only had time to evaluate the device with one test operator, that test operator was from the DKL organization, was selected by the manufacturer to perform that evaluation, and spent considerable time trying to use the device to the best of his ability. Thus, we conclude that no other test operator would be able to establish a better performance of the instrument except by chance.... "
The entire article describing the test and the outcome is available at:
http://www.sandia.gov/LabNews/LN04-24-98/detector_story.html
Excerpts:
"...Although the empirical test was the core of the Sandia analysis, the Sandia team also briefly examined the DKL product literature about the advertised physics behind its operation. The product literature says the instrument antenna detects the electrical field generated by the beating human heart, but the Sandian team found the idea put forth for that process "clearly wrong."
The Sandians also point out that the heart beats at a rate of 1.2 to 2.0 hertz and the wavelength of two hertz is 93,150 miles. "The 15-inch antenna on the LifeGuard is entirely inadequate for receiving signals of that wavelength," they report.
Our evaluation of the DKL LifeGuard, although brief, leads us to conclude that the device performs no better than random chance. Although we only had time to evaluate the device with one test operator, that test operator was from the DKL organization, was selected by the manufacturer to perform that evaluation, and spent considerable time trying to use the device to the best of his ability. Thus, we conclude that no other test operator would be able to establish a better performance of the instrument except by chance.... "
