MIT nerds create wireless power

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http://www.dailytech.com/MIT+Engineers+Unveil+Wireless+Power+System/article7632.htm

Transmitting power wirelessly is traditionally limited to line-of-sight methods such as microwave or laser, which have a "significant negative effect" on anyone or anything unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle.

Playfully dubbed "WiTricity" by the team, the researchers were able to power a sixty-watt lightbulb from seven feet away using the principle of magnetically coupled resonance. The basic concept is similar to existing electromagnetic inductive chargers, but does not suffer the massive drop in efficiency when distance is increased.
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It's very early stage, and the "hardware" required is large and cumbersome right now... but it's a hell of a step in the right direction. We could see true wireless power solutions (albeit at fairly short range - approximating 6-10ft) available to us commoners within a decade.
 
Dude - imagine this coupled with WiFi hotspots! It would offset the issue of batteries to some degree =D:shok: :shok: :shok:
 
With some sort of MAC- or SID-based direct-to-home NAS... pull up your MP3 collection from home while you're gettin high on frappucino's at Starbucks.
 
Let's just build these every 10 ft on the highway and do a high-speed bumper cars type thing. Goodbye engine emissions!
 
Theres already a wireless charger out that uses electronic induction... same thing but on a much larger scale i imagine.
 
Mr.Wonko said:
Let's just build these every 10 ft on the highway and do a high-speed bumper cars type thing. Goodbye engine emissions!
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Right now that would just mean more coal fired powerplants ;; Effectively removing our dependance on foreign oil and causing massive green house gas emission lol
 
So long as it dosn't have any radioactive effects i'm all for it.

Then they will make tiny cell phone speakers we stuff into our ears and pearce it in so it remains locked in place, we'll be able to hear the world around us and the people we're linked to like a LS. Listen to forcast and music too. If this technology is approved, we may be on the path to becoming something frightening, as if we're not already.
 
Arctyrael said:
Right now that would just mean more coal fired powerplants ;; Effectively removing our dependance on foreign oil and causing massive green house gas emission lol
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Nuclear power.

Its cleaner than anything other than Hydro and Wind, and is renewable.
 
Nuclear power isn't renewable >_>

If this uses electromagnetism, it's most likely going to be limited by physics. And guests with pacemakers.
 
Marajade said:
Nuclear power.

Its cleaner than anything other than Hydro and Wind, and is renewable.
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It also freaks the crap out of the general public, even with the extremely low chance of meltdown. Makes it mildly more difficult to keep the cattle calm.

The method they discovered is not radioactive - see picture below. The group is standing between the two "WAPs".

5036_mit_witricity.jpg
 
Kinda sorta off topic, but the subject was broached so I have to mention it: nuclear power is so, so, SO much better than fossil fuels, and the risks of meltdown are so minimal, due to the rediculous failsafes.

Here in the US people always mention Three Mile Island, and the "meltdown" there which happened almost 30 years ago. Even though there was a near total core failure, the safety measures in place actually limited the amount of exposure to an average of 1 millirem, or about 1/6 the amount of radioactivity you get from an x-ray. In addition, the incident at Three Mile Island caused a tightening of regulations and safety measures, so that there wouldn't be a repeat of an incident of that scale.
 
yeah, read about this 2 months ago in a Swedish science magazine. Its quite cool. Could have public transportation such as buses etc. run on wireless electricity
 
Cecilee said:
Nuclear power isn't renewable >_>

If this uses electromagnetism, it's most likely going to be limited by physics. And guests with pacemakers.
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Its technically not electromagnetism, but still is. and wouldn't hurt people with pace makers. The principle of it is based on resonance.

Let's say you have one of these at home, powering all the electronical majimbos in the same room. It converts the electricity in to a kind of electromagnetical field with a certain resonance. In order for an item to be able to pick up electricity from the field, they need to have an antenna of some sort and be on the same frequency as the antenna then send the electrical field out. This causes it to leech power from the electrical field, but only if its on the same frequency

Additionally, it would only waste minimal electricity. If there is no item near by to leech electricity from the field, the item that sent the electricity out would absorb it, and then send it out again.

It'd basically be the same thing as a radio channel. You only pick up the signals sent from the frequency you're currently listening on. This is the same thing, you'd only pick up electricity on the same resonance.

It would lead to small problems if used in public transportation etc, since it could easily lead to a new criminal genre of leaching electricity from the publical stations.

I think the good outweights the bad, though, since it could mean you could have cars going on 100% electricity from antennas under, over or to the side of the road.

The greatest object standing in the way is the huge increase in electricity this would lead to, which means we either need more power plants, or a much more efficient source of power. Such as fusion power plants.
 
This will be great in the future of Puerto Rico, where 100% of the electric power is not underground and runs thru wires across the whole island...
 
Negorissimo said:
This will be great in the future of Puerto Rico, where 100% of the electric power is not underground and runs thru wires across the whole island...
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Isn't that fairly common?

In BC's Lower Mainland (Vancouver & area) I have only seen one neighbourhood with the power running underground, everywhere else it's matrixed across telephone poles.
 
Nuclear power is actually VERY safe. The current design for nuclear plants is actually so absurdly safe that even in the event of a total core failure and subsequent full meltdown, the most likely end result would be a big explosion... that would be contained completely within the confines of the plant's walls. An outside observer might notice the ground shaking, that's about it.

Crazy.

Also this technology is quite awesome, except for the bit about it being QUITE inefficient... (only like 40% of the power transmitted was picked up)
 
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