Is Wireless Power Closer Than We Think?
Tesla Would Be Proud
A few years back, Marin Soljačić was driven from bed by the insistent beeping of his mobile phone. But it wasn’t beeping for him to answer it, it was beeping for him to plug it in. Since that night, the assistant professor of physics at MIT, has been thinking about ways to start his phone charging as soon as he enters his home - without the need for plugs or wires.Jennifer Chu at Technology Review writes that Soljačić considered using radio waves, but found that most of their energy would be lost in transmission. Targeted methods like lasers require a clear line-of-sight and could be dangerous for anything in their way. According to Chu, he eventually settled on a phenomenon called magnetic resonance coupling, in which two objects tuned to the same frequency exchange energy strongly but interact only weakly with other objects.
“A classic example is a set of wine glasses, each filled to a different level so that it vibrates at a different sound frequency. If a singer hits a pitch that matches the frequency of one glass, the glass might absorb so much acoustic energy that it will shatter; the other glasses remain unaffected.”
Now, Soljačić and his team have successfully demonstrated the use of magnetic resonance coupling to power a 60 watt light bulb from a distance of roughly two meters - and through a thin wall.
The most effective setup, thus far, transfers power over a distance of two meters with about 50 percent efficiency. The team is looking at other materials to decrease coil size and boost efficiency. “While ideally it would be nice to have efficiencies at 100 percent,” says Soljačić. “So realistically, 70 to 80 percent could be possible for a typical application.”
While some wireless power technologies have emerged in the marketplace, Soljačić’s technique differs in that it might one day enable devices to recharge automatically, whenever they come within range of a wireless transmitter.
While an interesting idea for the future, we are currently experiencing massive worldwide upheaval and fighting for energy resources; why work on a technology that promises to be *less* efficient than what we have now?
70-80% efficiency sounds pretty horrible. Also, you would need to shield your environment somehow, in order to keep your neighbors from suckling on your wireless power source.
One of the seven signs of bogus technology is that the inventor pitches the technology directly to the media rather than peer reviewed journals.
Thats what we have here. The guy is a charlatan.
The other %50 of the energy goes to your brain to grow tumors.
Great, no expensive wires etc., Their must be many medical applications that can be implemented or improved by research in this area. Efficiency may go up with study, but right now, who knows!
Hmm, interesting idea there. Did Tesla already come up with a way for transmitting energy wirelessly though?
It is interesting, but possibly irresponsible to develop. As the second comment says people, including me, would flock to it. It’s true efficiency may go up. However, I would imagine radiative and dielectric loses would cripple in a normal location. That being said you can’t stop development so it will probably happen anyway.
In response to Matthew: While this technology is indeed inefficient for charging cell phones, that is not the goal. The ability to transport power wirelessly has a unmeasured potential for the future independence of energy as well as the ability to do what today would seem impossible.
Imagine a world where you could put a power plant next to the sun and beam the energy back to earth. Or being able to travel across the solar system without having to carry your fuel with you.
The possibilities for this technology are as endless as they are vital.
What a cool idea! I think I’ve heard of certain medical implants that could recharge with radio waves… but I don’t remember if they’re in use. This would be great for people with pace-makers or inner-ear implants to help them hear.
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