Wireless power?

[Franco Cozzo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwkKkLDhAJ0

I thought this is pretty cool, the devices on that bench can be used without being plugged in to a wall socket.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Cool, but at what price?

In the end, every appliance will need some sort of receiver, and every point where power is to be sent from will need a sender (which will need to be wired just like a power point).

This technology will have benefits, but not in the home where most things that require power stay in the 1 spot for most of their lives.

Wonder how the technology works? What would be cool is if that technology was developed to something similar to home wifi, where a single unit emits a power signal over a certain frequency. The appliances needing power tap into your own power network via a small receiver or a built in receiver.

Cheers,

Jason

[FrogInASock]

"Wireless power" exists today, but not as one may expect.

We've all seen battery operated forklifts. You plug them into the smart charger overnight and drive away the next morning. How about just park your forklift over a magnetic coil in the concrete floor and the magnetism "pulsates" off and on. Now, if you know how an ignition coil works then you'll know that a collapsing magnetic field will induce a current in a conductor. So you put another coil around the bottom of your forklift, plug the ends into a fancy computer and you have wireless recharging of your batteries.

[kyro_02]

only if power could be sent to your mobile phone, a bit like reception... :P

[vztrt]

Nicola tesla had this running in the early 20th century, but was ridiculed at a demo in New York when they said where would the be able to put the meter in.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Cool, but at what price?

In the end, every appliance will need some sort of receiver, and every point where power is to be sent from will need a sender (which will need to be wired just like a power point).

This technology will have benefits, but not in the home where most things that require power stay in the 1 spot for most of their lives.

Wonder how the technology works? What would be cool is if that technology was developed to something similar to home wifi, where a single unit emits a power signal over a certain frequency. The appliances needing power tap into your own power network via a small receiver or a built in receiver.

Cheers,

Jason

Cancer

[Big Mike]

Mmm so wireless electricity isn't just known as "lightening"...

In fact it has been around for a while with limited uses, and in very low capacities. The pulsing magnetic transducer idea in the forklift above is one idea, but then again it may as well be connected as its parked there overnight anyway. True wireless electricity would be using the electric forklift - without a battery - all day, getting its power wirelessly live as it drives around. It would be metered before the transmitter so as still measured, however can that amount of current be transmitted? I'm not sure...

Clearly the "Powermat" in the kitchen linked above uses that pulse-coil technology, and so does my electric toothbrush which doesn't actually have any metal contacts touching either. Likewise I've seen kettles without metal contacts - just a ceramic looking fob that centres the thing.

I'd love to mow my lawn without a petrol tank, power cord, or the need for a huge battery.

[GTpilot]

Been around for years and years. many people just don't know it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwkKkLDhAJ0

Called Inductance or EMF.

[Airmon]

Yes but I don't think its ever been seen on such a small scale before. Its a Great innovation.

[GTpilot]

its how ever transformer works.

[Zed7fiddy]

also heard recently you can buy a small pack that must use similar technology, you jsut put it up to the back of your ipod or phone and it "Recharges" the battery. handy stuff really.

[flappist]

The reason it is not used universally is that in is very inefficient and range restricted.