Yes, engineers won't ignore it.
And, right now, it appears the only way to prove it is to have a working prototype.
And then, the proof will be, "it exists, QED"
I feel that the ivory tower hierophants won't even, not even reluctantly, admit that it works.
They will say, "it isn't a perpetual motion machine because it will wear out soon enough"
They’ll just move the goalposts again. Once it works, they’ll say it doesn’t count for some new reason.
That is what i expect.