University completes wireless electricity test

**Howzat** · June 15th, 2007, 11:23 PM

This is amazing, imagine the possibilities if this sort of thing can be commercialised.. I would have thought it would be terribly inefficient though. It never ceases to amaze me just what scientists can come up with :icon_salu

http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php/i...p;4;fpid;56736

MIT research team juices up a 60-watt light bulb using "WiTricity"

The day may be coming when PCs, cell phones and many other devices will be run without a battery or electrical cord.

Last week, an MIT research team announced that it had juiced up a 60-watt light bulb using "WiTricity," the name it has given a wireless electricity source it is developing.

The team generated the WiTricity using two copper coils, one attached to a power source. The power coil emitted a field of magnetism to the unpowered coil, stimulating it to generate a current that powered the light bulb from seven feet away, said Andre Kurs, a graduate student in MIT's physics department who worked on the project.

The team has been testing WiTricity options over the past year, he said.

The WiTricity generated by the coils powered the light bulb in a way similar to magnetic induction, which is used in power transformers so that one coil carries power to another, Kurs said.

Using an energy converter, any object near the WiTricity generating coils could be powered, explained Kurs, who said the technology could, in the future, be used to replace cords and bulky batteries, which often contain toxic chemicals.

Kurs also contended that WiTricity is safer than electricity or batteries and will "run forever if you take care of it."

Depending on how the coils are configured, a single WiTricity source could provide power for several laptops or dozens of cell phones, he said.

The team plans to expand the tests with a goal of covering greater distances and generating more power, Kurs added.

"We're working to make this efficient, so it could be competitive with rechargeable batteries. It could be commercially available in a few years," he said. "We're going to get to work on this and get some more exotic applications, possibly even for consumers. We're cautiously optimistic."

**DigitalJunkie** · June 16th, 2007, 01:12 AM

The key words are "We're cautiously optimistic", as I would imagine the power source need to generate a very powerful field of magnetism to cover great distance.

So, I would have to consider the side effects to human, for common everyday use!

**mountain_rage** · June 16th, 2007, 05:34 AM

Not that impressed as Tesla and many others did similar experiments a long long time ago. This technology has just been ignored for a while thats all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power

**Howzat** · June 18th, 2007, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by DigitalJunkie

The key words are "We're cautiously optimistic", as I would imagine the power source need to generate a very powerful field of magnetism to cover great distance.

So, I would have to consider the side effects to human, for common everyday use!

Yeah it would be interesting to see how much power would be needed to power something like a laptop across a room.

I don't think there would be too much to worry about healthwise, it would just mingle in to the myriad other radiation we're exposed to these days :icon_shak

**totally** · June 23rd, 2007, 11:55 PM

i don't think health is involved in this proses..its just a simple proses...it doesn't effect at all....

**Signa** · June 24th, 2007, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by mountain_rage

Not that impressed as Tesla and many others did similar experiments a long long time ago. This technology has just been ignored for a while thats all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power

i am. its about fucking time that some one tried to pick up where Tesla left off. hell, after i found out about Tesla, ive been hoping to hear news like this.

**cheta** · June 24th, 2007, 02:42 PM

This is really facinating and you can do it your self!
http://www.hackaday.com/2007/06/08/wireless-lightbulb
The other day i saw this on hack a day, it is the same thing! I am thinking about trying it when i get some free time. Check it out!

**mountain_rage** · June 25th, 2007, 02:06 AM

Originally Posted by cheta

This is really facinating and you can do it your self!
http://www.hackaday.com/2007/06/08/wireless-lightbulb
The other day i saw this on hack a day, it is the same thing! I am thinking about trying it when i get some free time. Check it out!

I would actually consider building that, it would be a good way of breaking peoples concept of reality and what is possible in the world. I will have to bookmark this until I finish my first circuits course looks like I will need some of that knowledge before being able to do it. Looks like it could be a winter break project.

**trojan570** · July 1st, 2007, 06:47 AM

Originally Posted by mountain_rage

Not that impressed as Tesla and many others did similar experiments a long long time ago. This technology has just been ignored for a while thats all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power

yea i was going to mention tesla. command and conquer made me think of that :P

**aslanov** · July 2nd, 2007, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by mountain_rage

Not that impressed as Tesla and many others did similar experiments a long long time ago. This technology has just been ignored for a while thats all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power

agreed. Nikola Tesla doesn't get the same credit as, say, Thomas Edison, who happened to lose the battle between him and Tesla about AC or DC, and yet more people are aware of the loser, Edison, and praise him for his work. We need to bring Tesla out to the world, at least the western world. :)