For wireless lovers, nothing gets the juices flowing quite like taking something that was traditionally wired and letting it run free.
Remember the thrill of seeing the phone go mobile, or the delight of seeing game controllers go wireless? Well, think how pumped you would be if transferring electricity became cord-free.
Impossible, you say? Think again.
In August, 2009, Eric Giler of WiTricity gave a TED talk on a new technology he believed would push electricity into the wireless age.
Giler explained that a coil with a capacitor attached to it could be made to resonate, producing a high-frequency alternating current. Another coil with the same resonant frequency could then be brought close to the first. The magnetic field produced by the first coil would generate a current in the second coil, effectively carrying electricity between the two coils.
Any electronic gadgets and gizmos you wish to power between the coils – cell phones, televisions, or electric cars – could be safely charged while you mill around in your underwear. Cool, huh?
For those worried about the safety issues of zapping wireless electricity willy nilly through the air, Giler explains that the magnetic field generated is actually similar to the one naturally occurring on Earth, so users would be unaffected.
WiTricity lists a host of benefits its technology would offer. From the removal of cords and batteries in homes, to powering pacemakers, to eliminating faulty wiring in industrial robots, all the way to charging high-tech military spy planes. One certainly can’t blame the firm for lack of aspiration.
While the technology is not yet commercially available, other companies are working on intermediary steps that just might bring us that bit closer to wireless charging nirvana.
Qualcomm, for instance, is developing the eZone, a sort of placemat the firm says will be able to charge wireless devices irrespective of placement or conductive surface.
The eZone will purportedly use similar magnetic resonance technology to the one used by WiTricity, and a nice feature is that putting objects like keys or coins on the eZone has no effect on its charging capability.
While commercial sale of the eZone is somewhat far off in futureland, another company by the name of Powermat USA has developed its own wireless charging station named, you guessed it, the Powermat.
Priced between $79.99 – $99.99, Powermat replaces your cell phone battery door with a special attachment, which is then placed on the mat, making your regular old charger a thing of the past. Apparently.
The problem is that Powermat really only works with mobile phones or hand-held gaming devices like Nintendo’s DS. For all other devices, the company has a charging cube with cords that plug into your devices. The cube is described as, “The most cost effective, catch-all solution to charge hundreds of devices.”
Perhaps, but seeing as all you’re doing is plugging your stuff into the cube instead of a socket, it all seems a bit pointless.
But even if it isn’t quite moving at the speed of light, wireless electricity is coming soon, and it’s quite a big deal.
It could make electric cars a much more attractive buy since they would no longer need to be plugged in; a reduced need for outlets could change the way homes are designed; and people with implanted medical devices could live their lives with less bother.
In fact, I’m getting charged up just thinking about it.
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Igor Hiller is a freelance writer and contributor to RCR Unplugged. He is also the resident advice columnist for UC Santa Barbara. You can read more from Igor over on his blog, DearIgor.com. You can also reach out to Igor by e-mail at igor[at]DearIgor.com
