Wireless ElectricityFollow

So, www.cnn.com posted an article, apartently some genius at MIT figured out how to do wireless electricity. Convert to magnetic field, reconvert back to electricity, this way it won't fry your brain like an egg.

cnn: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/02/wireless.electricity/index.html

demonstration: http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_giler_demos_wireless_electricity.html?CNN=YES


So, what would you power with wireless electricty?

Pics preferred.

Let the fun begin.

Edited, Sep 3rd 2009 8:07am by Thydonon

http://wow.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=28&mid=12484405978453608&num=14&page=1

You owe me a groat.

I'd like some more info on it, maybe the coupling coefficient (or just the efficiency). Transformers have primary and secondary wires wound right on top of each other to maximize power efficiency, having them so far apart would be a big hit to that I would imagine. Like, 200W needed to run the TV, but you have to have 1000W on on the 'transmitter' to get it.

It is cool and all, but your basic transformer used in almost all of your electronics is technically wireless so it's not really a new idea. I'll be impressed if that guy powered the TV with a decent efficiency.

eta: I guess the resonating part of the transmitter helps dramatically with efficiency. cool.

Edited, Sep 3rd 2009 10:06am by KTurner

Will nobody think of the cows?!

While shocking as it is it's not really that new.

if you are resonent on the same frequincies that wireless power systems use, yes, you will die of cancer. But thats ok because you are also made of copper and probably are having a really bad day up to that point anyways.

This is the future. Imagine a wireless power subscription like a cell phone contract. you get in your 120+ mph capable electric car, with no real batteries to speak of, but a large reciever in the engine bay, and you drive around relying on power from the transmission relays in the road median. or towers. You will never have another dead laptop battery.

we aren't there yet. but we are getting closer. for the first time ever really, a sufficiently motivated consumer can go out and buy wireless electricity recievers and transmitters for all of their electrical components. The palm pre touchstone charger is an early generation unit. There are prototypes that can effectivly beam power 40-50 feet without too much loss. The eficiencies are also riseing. MIT claimed 85% efficiency in tests they ran earlier this year. if they can get that over 90, you suddenly have a very lucrative product.

I suppose you are right, it's not like those new fangled cell phone dealies will ever take off in popularity, leading to a dramatic shift away from land line use, especially with their smaller, easier to maintain utility infrastructure footprint... Nope, will never happen.

It's existing infrastructure. you plug an antenna into it. that's it. There is no real investment in new infrastructure to make beyond the transmission towers, which are theoretically dirt cheap compared to miles of solid copper wire. The utility companies are salavating at the thought, because if they can charge people on contract rather than on actual usage, they will make billions.

utility will assign you a power frequincy just like a cell phone ESN.

In the end, there won't be one. Thats the point. It's all waveform transmission over discrete frequincies.

I can see this being used for households, like with the example of appliances on the kitchen counter. Close proximity and relatively small voltage and power requirements

I cannot see any way that the amount of energy required to power a factory would be able to be transmitted wirelessly. Our factory has a peak demand of about 1000KW. And that's a small factory (30% of that is one large machine).

I don't even see this being an efficient way to transmit power to a household.

Or they turn the existing infrastructure into a network of "powerpoints" by updating it with electricity transmitting capabilities. Abandoning =/= Updating.

Assuming they can get the efficiency and range to where it needs to be.

1. Utility companies will LOVE this. They will save billions in infrastructure maintenance.

2. Electricians are screwed.

3. If the utilities don't get on board (A big if, see #1) someone else will bring it to market, and if the price is right consumers will eat this up. I would absolutely LOVE not having to have outlets in my walls.

Quite right, electricians ***** others.

I'm wondering what the range on it is, if it is indeed 85% efficient. I find it hard to believe that they could get an 85% efficiency from anything more than a few inches away.

Edited, Sep 8th 2009 9:48am by kroutonz