Well the mainstream media certainly mangled this one! This is a ramjet engine that can operate from a standing start thanks to a series of acoustically-tuned "injectors" that produce and then amplify the fuel/air flow. The company has a small prototype but scaling it up to produce thousands of pounds of thrust will be a challenge
A ramjet needs a fuel source, either solid or liquid. A ramjet also does have moving parts withing the fuel injector. A ramjet by itself, can not initiate forward motion without the assistance of some other propulsion device. There are quite a few other differences; therfore, no, no one had invented this type of engine (engine that is mentioned in article) before.