Wireless Electricity... Progressing Ahead

Intel Corp has recently demonstrated a prototype which recharged an iPod speaker using wireless method. The iPod speaker was attached to a 3o-cm diameter copper coil and was recharged through another coil double the diameter located at 1-meter distance from the iPod speaker. The Intel project is similar to that of earlier project demonstrated by MIT Researchers. Both the projects uses magnetic fields to transfer energy which is non-radiative and is confined to a distance of less than 2 meters. After MIT scientist demonstration of wireless electricity project in 2007, number of companies and researchers have started working on this areas.

The technique is based on resonant coupling, which means the objects can exchanges energy when they are tuned at same frequency. In the case of Intel project, large coil was hooked up to electronics which generated currents oscillating energy at 7 mhz. The receiving coil was also tuned at the same frequency and the energy was transferred at 80% efficiency. The picture displays coil and the iPod speaker attached to it. Josh smith is the lead researcher on this project at Intel. MIT Scientists,who first pioneered the concept have started a company named as WiTricity . According them there are number of technical challenges (one of them is shrinking the coil into a miniature device) before such concept become reality and other companies need to do lot of catch up and there may be Intellectual property issues. WiTricity has applied for patent in 2007.

More details available at : TechReview

Conceptual illustration of the wireless electricity by WiTricity (Source WiTricity Corporation).




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Wireless Electricity

Wow! Is it really possible?, I have heard of wireless mouse, wireless keyboard, wireless headphone, but electricity that seems impossible. how can you transfer electricity without wires? What about things and people coming in between the transfer. Won't they catch fire? Well, it may or may not catch fire, we don't know about that. However, recently MIT scientists have successfully demonstrated that electricity can be transferred through wireless. They successfully illuminated a 60W bulb located at approximately at 7 feet or 2 meter distance with a small interference (wall) in between power source and bulb. The MIT scientist dubbed this technique as WiTricity. WiTricity is based on coupled resonant object approach. Two resonant objects with same resonant frequency are able to exchange energy efficiently. Although there are various types of resonances like acoustic, magnetic, mechanical, electromagnetic etc., MIT scientist used magnetic resonant objects. The scientist informed that magnetic coupling is suitable for day to day application, as most common materials interact very weakly with magnetic field, and thus reducing the extraneous interference. Furthermore, magnetic resonance interacts weakly with biological organisms , hence, it is safe as well.

The scientist mentioned that it will primarily be useful for small household devices, which need to be recharged at regular interval. The initial candidates are laptop, house hold music devices, and small bulbs. It is very early to predict how useful and widespread WiTricity will be, but, it is not too far when wires will become obsolete. "Miracles do happen" isn't it ?