He was able to rotate his body by extending and retracting his arms in a twisting motion. If angular momentum is not conserved, then a device can be built around this anomalous principle to give a linear thrust for use as a propulsion system. In fact, more than one device using this principle have been constructed over the last several years. One is known as the Dean Space Drive whose mechanism uses a counterbalanced set of rotating eccentric weights. The axels of the weights are moved linearly by a solenoid during each rotation.
Resultant thrust is produced in the same direction that the weights are moved.
The weights are essentially made to change orbit, giving up momentum in each cycle to produce thrust. Two other devices that have been built and patented apparently utilizing the same principle, are the Cook Drive and the Kidd Drive. See the References below for further details on all of these propulsion systems. About 10 years ago, a man was caught too close to a sudden outburst of volcanic activity on the island of Hawaii. He was escaping in his car down the volcanic mountain when the car blew a tire.