NEW YORK, USA — America’s premier space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is currently reviewing proffers from two Jamaicans that could lead to the licensing of two inventions with the potential to be used as rocket parts .

St Mary native George Winston Whitfield and engineer Howard Martin Chin of Kingston believe their magnetic gear system and ball and socket joint could soon determine how motor vehicles, boats, aeroplanes, toys, and other devices with a gearbox system operate in the future.

Their magnetic gear system features magnetic gearboxes designed to enhance the efficiency, durability, and cost-effectiveness of the equipment in which they are used.

Last year April the Jamaica Observer reported the inventions and their authors’ determined pledge to approach NASA with the hope of having them licensed, ideally to become part of their arsenal of parts for rockets heading to outerspace.

True to their pledge, the two sent their work to NASA in June this year and bolstered their credibility when businessman Peter Melhado agreed to invest in the venture.

The Washington-based NASA, responding to a query from the Observer, confirmed that “the offer to license the inventions is being reviewed” but said that “no further comment could be made at this time”.

The invention has been patented by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as evidenced by patent numbers US 2017/0271970 A1 and US 20150229198 A1.

The three rights holders to the patents, in the meantime, have also approached Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) regarding the possibility of advancing their work.

CMU confirmed that it assisted in the project on a pro bono basis, creating a digital drawing for demonstration purposes for the patent, adding: “We have done this work pro bono because we would like to contribute to the development of our nation and work with inventors like Mr Whitfield.”

However, the university made it clear it was now prepared to go forward on the basis of “a statement of work and compensation”, as it wished to see the prototype achieve success.

In the document accompanying the submission to NASA, the inventors set out in specific details the advantages of the magnetic gear box system and the ball and socket joint, as well as how they would work.

One aspect of the invention relating to the ball and socket joint, according to the document, is that it allows free rotation while reducing or increasing the output speed with different diameter magnetic gears.

In their submission, Whitfield, Chin, and Melhado described the second patent as being for a gearbox utilising the non-contact, sequential magnetic interaction principle to transmit power.

More importantly, they said that, with the possible exception of the bearings supporting the axles, no lubricant oils or grease are required, making it “a benefit in space flight where weight is regarded as critical”.

The submission by the trio also said a key feature of the gearbox is that a simple open support frame will be the only structure necessary, with all parts exposed to the vacuum of space. They went on to address how the gearbox would operate in environments with fine abrasive dust, such as are known to occur on the surface of the moon.

A positive response from NASA is essential to the next move, the inventors noted, telling the agency: “We hope that your office, after due diligence and examination of the utility of these inventions with respect to your primary aims, will find for a favourable response to these licence proffers.”