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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 Charging Batteries without WiresNew MIT research reveals a way to send wireless energy to mobile phones and laptops. By Kate Greene
Small, battery-powered gadgets make powerful computing portable. Unfortunately, there's still a continual need to recharge the batteries of phones, laptops, cameras, and MP3 players by hooking them up to a tangle of wires. Now researchers at MIT have proposed a way to cut the cords by wirelessly supplying power to devices. "We are very good at transmitting information wirelessly," says Marin Soljačić, professor of physics at MIT. But, he says, historically, it's been much more difficult to transmit energy to power devices in the same way. Soljačić, who was a 2006 TR35 winner (see "2006 Young Innovator"), and MIT colleagues Aristeidis Karalis and John Joannopoulos have worked out a theoretical scheme for a wireless-energy transfer that could charge or power devices within a couple of meters of a small power "base station" plugged into an electrical outlet. They presented the approach on Tuesday at the American Institute of Physics's Industrial Physics Forum, in San Francisco. The idea of beaming power through the air has been around for nearly two centuries, and it is used to some extent today to power some types of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. The phenomenon behind this sort of wireless-energy transfer is called inductive coupling, and it occurs when an electric current passes through wires in, for instance, an RFID reader. When the current flows, it produces a magnetic field around the wires; the magnetic field in turn induces a current in a nearby wire in, for example, an RFID tag. This technique has limited range, however, and because of this, it wouldn't be well suited for powering a roomful of gadgets. To create a mid-range wireless-energy solution, the researchers propose an entirely new scheme. In it, a power base station would be plugged into an electrical outlet and emit low-frequency electromagnetic radiation in the range of 4 to 10 megahertz, explains Soljačić. A receiver within a gadget--such as a power-harvesting circuit--can be designed to resonate at the same frequency emitted by the power station. When it comes within a couple of meters of the station, it absorbs the energy. But to a nonresonant device, the radiation is undetectable. Importantly, the energy that's accessed by the device is nonradiative--that is, it doesn't propagate over great distances. This is due to the low frequency of the radio waves, says John Pendry, professor of physics at Imperial College, in London. Electromagnetic radiation comes in two flavors: near-field and far-field. The intensity of low-frequency radiation drops quickly as a person moves farther away from the base station. In other words, the far-field radiation that propagates out in all directions isn't very strong at low frequencies, hence is essentially useless. (Wi-Fi signals, in comparison, are able to remain strong for tens of meters because they operate at a higher frequency of 2.4 gigahertz.)
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Comments
Draq Wraith on 11/15/2006 at 1:11 AM
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1899 was the year Wireless power was conceived by Nikola Tesla only today are we beginning to understand the full brilliance of his work.
Nikola scared the world then with all of his ideas laid to bear. He was the first to give the US government a scary theory of a black box that could destroy the world. His papers were seized, his Ideas were hidden from the worlds sight.
Head what happened to him then, but do continue to develop the wireless power transmission devices.
Tesla Guessed that the resonance frequency of the air was 8 Hz. Today it is proven fact.
May there be more true inventors and scientist like Tesla.
D~W
GuScheible on 11/15/2006 at 6:51 AM
2
http://www02.abb.com/global/gad/gad02077.nsf/lupLongContent/8F5AF02295587AC5C1257192002D50F9
It is called WISA-POWER and works at even lower frequencies (long wave radio) due to regulations
ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 5:06 PM
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The ULTRA~TESLAN(Hm)
ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 12:45 AM
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I grow tired of this constant struggle to inform the planet's ignorant masses ( especial the United States so well educated types ), though, some do know Nicola ( Nikola, Serbian spelling ) Tesla's greatness, dishonestly destroyed by edison's thuggary and theift of Tesla AC power historical legacy.."a pox on all of their houses"...but beware as you will need us some day, as our Earth Giai, is needing now...take this caveat seriously..as it maybe this planet's last...I bid you good luck, in our times, as Tesla had done in his time...
The ULTRA~TESLAN
Dr. RA Berman CCSC
URL: http://ufo.cc
( Ultra~teslan Foundation Operations.cc )
www.myspace.com/ultrateslan
www.myspace.com/tempralhm
ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 9:06 AM
20
I grow tired of this constant struggle to inform the planet's ignorant masses ( especial the United States so well educated types ), though, some do know Nicola ( Nikola, Serbian spelling ) Tesla's greatness, dishonestly destroyed by edison's thuggary and theift of Tesla AC power historical legacy.."a pox on all of their houses"...but beware as you will need us some day, as our Earth Giai, is needing now...take this caveat seriously..as it maybe this planet's last...I bid you good luck, in our times, as Tesla had done in his time...
The ULTRA~TESLAN
Dr. RA Berman CCSC
URL: http://ufo.cc
( Ultra~teslan Foundation Operations.cc )
www.myspace.com/ultrateslan
www.myspace.com/tempralhm
ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 9:12 AM
20
I grow tired of this constant struggle to inform the planet's ignorant masses ( especial the United States so well educated types ), though, some do know Nicola ( Nikola, Serbian spelling ) Tesla's greatness, dishonestly destroyed by edison's thuggary and theift of Tesla AC power historical legacy.."a pox on all of their houses"...but beware as you will need us some day, as our Earth Giai, is needing now...take this caveat seriously..as it maybe this planet's last...I bid you good luck, in our times, as Tesla had done in his time...
The ULTRA~TESLAN
Dr. RA Berman CCSC
URL: http://ufo.cc
( Ultra~teslan Foundation Operations.cc )
www.myspace.com/ultrateslan
www.myspace.com/tempralhm
ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 9:13 AM
20
I grow tired of this constant struggle to inform the planet's ignorant masses ( especial the United States so well educated types ), though, some do know Nicola ( Nikola, Serbian spelling ) Tesla's greatness, dishonestly destroyed by edison's thuggary and theift of Tesla AC power historical legacy.."a pox on all of their houses"...but beware as you will need us some day, as our Earth Giai, is needing now...take this caveat seriously..as it maybe this planet's last...I bid you good luck, in our times, as Tesla had done in his time...
The ULTRA~TESLAN
Dr. RA Berman CCSC
URL: http://ufo.cc
( Ultra~teslan Foundation Operations.cc )
www.myspace.com/ultrateslan
www.myspace.com/tempralhm
ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 9:14 AM
20
I grow tired of this constant struggle to inform the planet's ignorant masses ( especial the United States so well educated types ), though, some do know Nicola ( Nikola, Serbian spelling ) Tesla's greatness, dishonestly destroyed by edison's thuggary and theift of Tesla AC power historical legacy.."a pox on all of their houses"...but beware as you will need us some day, as our Earth Giai, is needing now...take this caveat seriously..as it maybe this planet's last...I bid you good luck, in our times, as Tesla had done in his time...
The ULTRA~TESLAN
Dr. RA Berman CCSC
URL: http://ufo.cc
( Ultra~teslan Foundation Operations.cc )
www.myspace.com/ultrateslan
www.myspace.com/tempralhm
ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 4:57 PM
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ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 4:58 PM
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ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 4:58 PM
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ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 4:58 PM
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ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 4:59 PM
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ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 5:00 PM
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SVE on 11/15/2006 at 1:27 AM
42
It might never make it into the commercial world for powered mobile devices. But a properly equipped ceramic cup might be designed that would keep your tea and coffee hot between sips all day long! Maybe in the entire Starbucks! Heck, even warm your ski boots and mittens while waiting in the lift line. Actuate all sorts of buzzing and beeping things as you walk by. The mind boggles.
baroque1980 on 11/15/2006 at 2:43 AM
4
Mark_n_Den on 11/15/2006 at 7:26 AM
1
lambdafunds on 11/15/2006 at 12:16 PM
9
Many megawatts are now lost to plugged in but idle chargers. So an even more inefficient system would be bad. BUT if one charger could replace a bunch, then maybe energy would be saved.
ldskid on 11/15/2006 at 3:03 AM
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steverose on 11/15/2006 at 4:54 AM
3
dickcaro on 11/15/2006 at 10:05 AM
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Kate Greene on 11/15/2006 at 6:43 PM
Information Technology Editor
7
GuScheible on 11/15/2006 at 7:25 AM
2
http://www02.abb.com/global/gad/gad02077.nsf/lupLongContent/8F5AF02295587AC5C1257192002D50F9
It is called WISA-POWER a wireless power supply for the wireless interface to sensors and actuators in industrial factory automation. The realization of the concept (not just the theory)got the Wall Street Journal Innovation Award already in 2002...
-> state of the art by now:
- http://www.abb.com/cawp/seitp202/0aab35c442fd7dfcc125721e00291ab5.aspx?
-http://www.abb.de/product/seitp329/c9c850a941f3612cc12570cb0027bd75.aspx?country=US
ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 9:34 AM
20
THE ULTRA~TESLAN(Hm)
ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 9:38 AM
20
The ULTRA~TESLAN
Dr. RA Berman CCSC
URL: http://ufo.cc
( Ultra~teslan Foundation Operations.cc )
www.myspace.com/ultrateslan
www.myspace.com/tempralhm
ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 9:46 AM
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http://www.nanolightproductionlabs.com/index1.html
protn7 on 11/15/2006 at 10:55 AM
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ULTRA~TESLAN Hm on 09/02/2007 at 9:58 AM
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THE ULTRA~TESLAN(Hm)
mkogrady on 11/15/2006 at 1:02 PM
92
gary7 on 11/15/2006 at 1:52 PM
3