MIT jumps straight to wirelessly powering multiple devices
By Darren Murph 
posted February 24th 2010 12:40AM
posted February 24th 2010 12:40AM
Ah, wireless power. One of those mythical mysteries that are far more likely to remain "something to strive for" rather than "the next big thing." Oh sure, we've got Palm's Touchstone and the Powermat, but until we can hang a 50-inch plasma from our bedroom ceiling and power it up without a single wire, we'll remain firmly unsatisfied. Thankfully for those of us in that camp, MIT exists, and a few of the school's best and brightest are toiling around the clock in order to develop a technology that would power not one, but multiple devices sans cabling. Thanks to the wonders of coupling resonance, we're told that the "overall power transfer efficiency of the wireless system could be increased by powering multiple devices simultaneously, rather than each device individually." In theory, the system could be implemented by "embedding a large copper coil in the wall or ceiling of a room," but there's obviously no set time frame for release. We'll be looking for you geeks at CES next year, okay?
Now instead of plugging in my TV, I can rip up the wall to install a large copper coil in my wall!
Very cool that the more devices you are powering, the more efficient the system becomes.
@DanMan
Wireless power will be the biggest step toward the imaginary sci-fi future we have ever taken.
@DanMan
And if you are ripping your house apart to install huge copper coils why not just install some cables and put power sockets.
@porkerpig Electricians are $180 per hour, Drywallers cost one burrito and a cerveza.
@bullshitexpresscom This is as funny as it is racially insensitive.
I highly doubt MIT's best and brightest are working on anything unclassified. These are probably just the dunces who can barely make it into Mensa.
@nigerianprince
Yeah I bet this is just a technology by-product from their research into human teleportation at a high security classified facility disguised somewhere in the desert
what are thr health implications of this? Having huge amounts of electric flying through the air - are our bodies cool with that? I don't know if 'electric flying through the air' is the right phrase / terminology because I'm not very familiar with the physics of the technology. Anybody have an educated guess out there on this?
@chadhuber
Meh, a little cancer never hurt anybody.
@chadhuber From what I've read it's generally not at the right wavelength to hurt us unless you do something stupid- same thing as microwaves. We probably get the same effect if you live under a large power line.
@chadhuber
It isn't a tesla coil sending electricity into the air, besides long term exposure to a tesla coil never hurt anyone.
@Mentat
- so, you are familiar with lots of people who've had long-term exposure to tesla coils, eh?
Yeah, where was that FDA longitudinal study about lab rats and high-level exposure to active Tesla coils? It was right here on my desk a minute ago ....
@jonschu
I don't think the electricity or electromagnetic radiation is anything to worry about. At least I don't expect it would be anything over and above what occurs naturally (i.e. thunderstorms, powerlines, the sun, flux capacitor).
@chadhuber
This explains it all
http://blog.ted.com/2009/08/wireless_electr.php
Soon houses will be built from computers and stuff to power everything in your house, wirelessly.
All electronic devices will be powered by water and wind.
And we'll have robots instead of maids to wash our clothes and make us breakfast.
Awesome
@chadhuber
This is going to be one of those things where 20 years down the track they realise that it causes tuma's and cancers etc. I wouldn't want to sit in between the coils when my TV is on! :S
You can see this technology demonstrated in a Ted Talk video.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/eric_giler_demos_wireless_electricity.html
The problem i see with this technology, is that at some point your neighbors will start leeching of your power coils.
@KGB
yeah...they might even leech off them too
@KGB If somehow they could add some sort of password like Wi-Fi to prevent those leeches
@freshboi meh, most people won't bother to use the passwords. Just connect your TV to any of the dozen or so powerhubs broadcasting an SSID of "GE" and you're set!
I'm still waiting for a miniature arc reactor to power my iron man suit. Until then, this will have to do...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ4J69EEpu4&feature=fvst
This is just CRAZY. So at a time when we know that cheap energy will run out at some time in the not-too-distant future we're considering employing a technology that AT BEST reduces the efficiency of its use by 20% and by up to 50% even at modest distances. Coupled to that we're going to be creating big electromagnetic fields in our homes when there are real doubts as to the true long-term effects on the human body? Man, we are a STUPID race!
As usual, I suppose it will be totally OK because the companies developing this technology will make lots and lots of money out of it. And that makes it fine...
I'd rather see them working on more efficient battery storage technology that can be recharged quickly by solar/wind/water/lightning. I'd be more likely to spend money to equip my house with a room full of batteries, than worry about a wire between my TV and the wall.
Although the efficiency is really poor this kind of tech really helps in some very specific situations.
If you want to learn more about it and build your own for about $20, I made an instructable with everything you need to know about wireless power transmission using resonant energy transfer:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Low-Power-Wireless-Charging/
Just thinking about this makes the steel plate in my skull ache. Also reminds me of that old line (from Schoepenhauer?) - If God created the world, who created God? Just refine cabling to the point of near invisibility. All stand to recite Bell's Theorem.
Oh no...how will we power cycle our routers when they crash if we can't unplug them?
Just don't forget about Robert Heinlein's prediction of an effect on humans! It's part of the plot from this old story:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldo_%28short_story%29