Items tagged with wireless power
Despite having risen to popularity only a few years ago, it's become increasingly clear that electric vehicles are the future. Versus gas-powered vehicles, electric ones are safer on the environment (this is oft-debated, however), are generally cleaner, and are also less-expensive to refuel. Who wouldn't love to rid the need to hit-up a gas station? That latter point does lead us to one downside of electric vehicles: The need to find charging stations. The risk of running out of power while on-the-road and being nowhere near a charge station is real, and it requires close attention to your power use and also advanced planning. The risk is greatly minimized with gas-powered...
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Wireless charging hasn't exactly taken the world by storm, by almost any measure you look at. That said, there's still hope for the technology, but it will likely require less expensive components, more powerful capabilities (wirelessly powering a TV or laptop, for example), and greater corporate support. The tech is getting precisely that with a new agreement between Duracell and Starbucks. The two have ironed out a deal that will see Powermat charging pads placed at a number of highly visited Starbucks locations in the Silicon Valley area -- an area that's teeming with consumers who actually would be likely to give wireless charging a go. This particular trial is following what's said to be...
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You might not hear about it on the evening news, but there's a quiet war being waged in the consumer electronics universe. The issue at stake? Wireless power. It's one of those concepts that everyone realizes will be at the heart of the next-generation product, but we've seen so many lackluster attempts over the years that it's tough to get truly excited about yet another one. But, of course, an alliance on such a thing could change everything -- focusing the efforts of many intelligent companies in order to produce a technology that's actually worth paying attention to. The Power Matters Alliance has just announced some serious growth, expanding 50% in just 30 days. It's an ecosystem and standard...
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Few institutions impact the world of consumer electronics as often as MIT, and it's a known fact that the entity has been working towards wireless power for years now. Wireless power remains one of the Holy Grails of electronics; even with wireless video and audio solutions in the market, there's still a power requirement that demands at least one cable. It's the reason that wireless surround speakers can't easily be mounted anywhere; you still have to run power to each one, or at least signal wires with power running through them. But MIT is getting closer and closer to making wireless energy a reality. The latest research shows that efficient actually improves when multiple devices are charged...
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A team of leading scientists from MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Physics, and Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies have demonstrated a concept they call “WiTricity” (wireless electricity). In the photo to the left, we witness power being transferred across two coils over a distance of 2m, made clear by the presence of the gleaming 60W lightbulb on the right. The transfer of power was successful in spite of the fact that the team obstructed the direct line of site of the two coils. Although electromagnetic radiation is an alternative method of transmitting power wirelessly and has been around for a long time (i.e. radio waves), radiation diffuses...
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