Surely this will NOT work: violation of conservation of momentum?

[gggnano]

The rotating ball should push the vehicle first to the right and once it hits the airbag - to the left?? Even if this works, how are you going to automate it and repeat it?

 

[DaveC426913]

Correct. You can't reset it without reversing the motion. The vehicle might rock back and forth, but it will not make any progress. You can make it ever more Rube-Goldbergian, and have the passenger supply the energy into moving it, but that's just an inefficient human-powered machine.

BTW, such perpetual motion discussion is a forbidden topic on PF, so I expect this thread won't be open long.

 

[berkeman]

Yep, thread is closed, not because it's a PMM, but because we don't support discussions of "propellantless propulsion" with a violation of the Conservation of Momentum.