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Wireless Power Gets A Boost
srizah writes "At CES, Las Vegas, two companies — Arizona-based WildCharge and Michigan-based Fulton have demonstrated what are very different ways to charge gadgets sans wires. "
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Can't wait for this stuff. Imagine it - slap your mobile down on your desk and it's charged. Your MacBook - chargind while you use it with no wires. Awesome. A pad that can charge multiple devices (as in the article) would also be great. But how realistic is this, by which I mean, how far away is this tech from being 'in the shops'? I suspect it'll be some time. Wingrove says their first device will be available this Summer, but I'm sceptical. And I *don't* want my phone/laptop etc. to have a wireless dongle sticking out of it; almost as unsightly as the power cord.
Man wird am besten für seine Tugenden bestraft.
What do others think?
Wiki: The term wireless is normally used to refer to any type of electrical or electronic operation which is accomplished without the use of a "hard wired" connection.
Man wird am besten für seine Tugenden bestraft.
The term "wireless" should not be confused with the term "cordless"
Man wird am besten für seine Tugenden bestraft.
Cheesy Induction ploy, if you have to place it on or in the proximity of a device
you may as well have wires.
when you consider that the key to this device actually operating is that your device needs to be "fitted internally or externally with an adapter... ". Unless this also acts as a transformer then its pretty much useless. I can't see manufactures integrating internal adaptors in their devices either since it increases the device size and introduces heat.
(Or MPT) is an actual working technology already in use - I seem to recall a small experimental, remotely controlled, airplane that was powered this way. A ground microwave dish followed it as it moved across the sky and that powered the motors and other scientific experiments. On the other hand, a stationary object such as a cell phone shouldn't have a problem being powered in a dedicated recharge zone (such as a counter or shelf that would be designated as a human-unsafe area). Wikipedia claims that power transmission efficiencies and radiation are mostly negligible -- if so, does that mean that we should be going after it or is there inherent danger to the process?
s mission
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_power_tran
Cheesy Induction ploy, if you have to place it on or in the proximity of a device
you may as well have wires.
Induction is a good thing, maybe a bit cheesy at its inception - but wait until it matures. I had a watch that was charged using induction, it allowed it to recharge without having a connection or contacts exposed.
If this technology improves, it could become very useful.
For example, power induction systems below road surfaces for hybrid and electric vehicles. Cell phone holders in cars that charge without any contacts to become tarnished or bent.
I don't see it replacing all hardwired or contact based connections, but it would be a welcomed addition to many devices that are designed for severe duty.
Electricity doesn't cause global warming. Stupidity in generation of electricity does. If you live somewhere smart (such as Ontario) where more than 50% of your power comes from sources other than hydrocarbons and dams, you aren't damaging the environment at all. Ontario, while it does have occasional power issues, generally has such an excess of electricity we export it to the US all the time.
Contrary to popular belief, the majority of Ontario's power does not come from hydroelectric, wind, or solar power, proving that if you follow Ontario's lead anyone can have enough electricity anywhere.
Ontario, Canada, at least, will be a much cleaner place when everything turns electric. Keep it beautiful, indeed!
My electric toothbrush works like this. Basically half the transformer is in the handle end of the toothbrush, and the other half is wrapped around a socket that it plugs into. Apparantly brushes like this have been available since 1997.
Reduce, reuse, cycle
while technically it is wired, I do agree with the sentement. If it still requires one or more physical connections between the object and the outlet, with no non-physical connections it's annoying. I wouldn't mind if it reduced the wires, I'd rather remove them completely.
34486853790
Connection too slow for X forwarding? Try "ssh -CX user@host"
we just got a bunch of those induction flashlights at work that are supposed to charge themselves when you shake them... for "safety". Naturally, we disected them the same day we got them, only to find that they are powered by two Lithium batteries.
I suppose shaking them could eventually charge the battery if it ever died... but it still seems like cheating to me.
Fix Your Own TV - RiddledTV.com Avoid the Landfill
Transformers certainly get less efficient if you increase the gaps between the components. Think of it like this: one half of the transformer is using electricity to produce a varying magnetic field; the other half is intercepting the varying magnetic field and using its energy to generate electricity; if you increase the spacing then less of the magnetic field is intercepted. This means the system works less hard, so overall it's cooler, but presumably charging takes longer.
Reduce, reuse, cycle
Wall outlet chargers are usually shipped along with the gadgets. ...
Car chargers usually are sold for a couple of bucks or little more.
USB chargers are getting more and more adopted and costs are dropping.
So I'd say the wireless (but not touchless) charger is more likely to be another gadget than some real new solution.
First you have to buy new gadgets that support such a charging technology.
Then if you need to charge more gadgets you'll need a larger charger
Intelligence has limits. Stupidity doesn't.
That's a good point, and one that is likely to make these devices a market failure. They will have a hard time meeting the EPA's charger efficiency standards. Manufacturers are working hard to meet these levels without the additional loss in the split transformer. Failing to meet these "voluntary" standard locks you out of federal contracts, and the general market in places where efficiency standards are mandatory (California).
The latter would be a real advance in technology!
I use a cell phone for one week and recharge it for 1 hour a week.
Intelligence has limits. Stupidity doesn't.
In the case of 'wireless' phones, I doubt many people have ever considered the 'wireless' to actually refer to the method of charging in a cradle. I would go so far as to say that no one will be impressed by the weak definition of 'wireless' used here, since it could also refer to something like a charging phone or a battery in a bannery charger, since no wire goes into the actual devices being charged.
Induction power is not new, so the 'gets a boost' is surprisingly accurate (in that it doesn't promise something entirely new, just a step forward), but 'true wireless power,' if someone were to bring it to market, would really blow people's minds.
Although the moon is smaller than the earth, it is farther away.
where does the other 60% go when your device is 40% efficient ?
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
I am counting.... 5 wall-warts, 11 plugs, and one "in-line" wart-on-the-floor. And a UPS on the floor (only two plugs, no warts). Three power bars, and two separate wall outlets.
And that's just in my office space.
I am sick of this (unsightly) rigging. Yes, I will tolerate a higher power bill to eliminate it.
Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061
I've muttered about this before, what i'd like is a desk that was just a simple large flat inductive surface (with a nice layer of veneer on top). It could handle communication between devices (instead of insecurely and noisily shouting all your data over bluetooth et-al) and power/charge any reasonably small compatible device placed on it (laptops and monitors might be too beefy). digital cameras and ipods could just have a contact plate on one or more surfaces (the bottom of the camera, the back of the ipod) and would just show up a-la USB in your taskbar when you plonk them on the same desk as your PC. you could register your keyboard to your PC but the mouse might need some backup power onboard for when you're thrashing it about. Desks could be wired together to create workgroups in office spaces, that way everyone would be able to use the printer and scanner on the end table as if it were a native device, though they'd need to be queueable and lockable depending on who was using them, but you could still lock-out other people from messing with the digital camera that's on your desk.
basically expand the computer to include your entire desk, without all the annoying wires
If you don't risk failure you don't risk success.
Those shakeable flashlights need some form of energy storage, otherwise they'd only work while you were actively shaking them.
However, some of the cheaper ones don't actually use induction, they just have an unconnected coil of wires and a battery. I know a merchant who had to return a whole crate of them after I noticed the coil didn't seem to connect with anything and after dissecting it found that it didn't, and the slug wasn't even metal.
We need a low power standard (maybe its USB). So can all have many nice small plugs on the edge of our desks to plugin phones, PDAs, etc.
Same concept, different application. Those flashlights contain a linear generator. Shaking them charges the batteries by essentially shaking a magnet back and forth past some coiled wire. Inductive chargers contain two coils--one inside the charger and one inside the device. When the charger runs current through its coil, the electrons in the device's coil are essentially "dragged along" too which generates current in the charging device without any metal touching between the charger and the device. This is especially handy for things like shavers and electric toothbrushes as metal contacts can get corroded or grimed up with toothpaste and shaving cream.
Waste heat energy, like pretty much all inefficiencies. Now if you're using this at an antarctic research lab, voila! it's not wasted at all!
Especially if the rate of charge is standard. The applpications are limitless:
- No more travel chargers. Just throw your bluetooth headset and your phone on a pad and be done with it
- Something needs to be charged in a car? Toss it on there.
- Mp3 players would be able to charged while not being plugged into a USB or a separate charger.
Then if microwaves become reality....ooooo.
Imagine a world not dependent on batteries (or that batteries are officially for backup). A world where technology is ran without any wires. It runs on the energy in the air, it syns with radio waves, and it broadcasts wirelessly.
My great grantkids will be so lucky. When I was their age we had to plug in our headphones and plug our music players in to charge. And we only had 60 GB of storage space, not 500TB!
In Soviet Russia, dots slash you!
Induction is easier to make waterproof than metal wires.
Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
But then I read TFA.
That actually does sound useful.
Arr! Read The Government Manual for New Pirates!
So then you have a 90Watt electromagnet on your desk. Has anyone wondered yet what will happen to hard disks/microdrives inside laptops and MP3 players?
i boguht a few and played with them.. mine used the shaking to charge a capasitor - it worked quite well.. using a battery sounds like cheating and that it more than likly was a cheep knockoff
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
I have a silly question that'll no doubt expose my ignorance on the matter. With this sort of power, is there a lot of electricity wasted? In other words, would my electric bill go up for the same amount of charging?
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
I guess the field will be of a quite low frequency, and AFAIK, it has been proven that low-frequency magnetic fields are harmless.
Next to my concerns about magnetic media (see post below), I have more concerns about the power consumption when there are no devices on the charge pad. My guess is that there will be an inevitable amount of idle power consumption, because there's no such thing as a zero-impedance coil (yet). Of course this could be fixed by turning off the pad when it doesn't detect any devices during a certain period, and periodically sending a pulse to check for new devices (or just an 'activate' button).
I don't really think a wire to charge something is major hassle. However, having a wire for a Nokia 6233, another for an older Nokia, one for a Sony camera, one for a portable flash to HDD reader, one for an Icy Box portable HDD, etc. Yeah that's a bit tiresome.
Rather than some induction thing like this, I would rather have most devices chargeable from a standard connector - a USB-type standard for power. The new Nokia connector is tiny - I can't imagine any device it wouldn't fit. I'd just rather have everything use that or AA batteries. It's going to be more efficient than induction too.
Your device could have some sort of solar panel on each side, and the charging pad/emitter could be an intense / invisible spectrum of light to charge. Ideas? Thoughts?
Future ruler of a small Asian-Pacific island
I have a mechanical watch that's "charged" using a pendulum that moves when I move my arm and winds the mainspring. Perhaps such a system could be adapted to things like iPods that often get used on a person of in a vehicle.
-b.
Instead of inductively coupling, how about a system that allows for incidental direct connection?
Imagine a "pad" that was made up of a grid of anchored stainless steel ball bearings. Devices would have conductive contact surfaces that incidentally make contact in some fashion when placed on the pad. A microprocessor senses a decrease in resistance and routes 5V between two or more appropriate points on the grid, powering the device. The device would be responsible to step up/down to the appropriate voltage. The pad would have overcurrent and thermal protection to prevent damage and fire due to something like a coin or a twist-tie being dropped onto the pad.
As a feature to tell that a connection has been established, as well as part of the "cool factor" Put LEDs into the grid that are switched on by the microprocessor when a connection has been established.
Okay, the downsides, as I look into with every idea: Those nice leather cases would have to go, or otherwise be redesigned. Also, if you use contacts that corrode easily, then you may have a problem, too. Then there's the potential for scratches on the case of whatever you're charging from coming in contact with the metal ball surfaces.
Just a silly idea I guess...Think of it as the ultimate universal drop-in charger
My electric toothbrush takes hours and hours to recharge. Do they trickle feed it or is there some reason induction methods should take much longer?
That's the interesting part - the heat is only "wasted" outside of the heating season. During the heating season, it just contributes to home heating energy and reduces your heating tab, slightly. So, depending on your climate, only 30-40% of the energy may go to waste, not the full 60%.
-b.
We all know that no matter how many leaps and bounds we make it will all be proprietary in the end. Even if we end up being able to power most of our consumer electronics in a wireless environment you will still have to buy some pos with a brand name on it to interface into a purely universal power source. So clap and rejoice all you want, it will be ruined by big business.
I have invented something which contains all kinds of polluting toxic chemicals, is empty at the most inconvenient times, takes quite a lot of time to recharge, has a proprietary form factor for many devices, hence is often expensive or hard to replace. I call them batteries too, what a coincidence! :p
I wouldn't hate batteries so much if each new gadget wouldn't be using its own proprietary battery with corresponding proprietary charger, or built-in battery which is nearly impossible to replace. I know AAA batteries have become unsuitable for many devices, but how hard can it be to make new standard small form factors for Li-ion batteries?
Puppy! No!
*zzzzap*
I would guess it's directly related to the size of the induction coils, energy used, and the pickup coils in the brush itself.
If it has a large battery (doubt it) or is designed poorly so that much of the energy is wasted (more likely) it will pickup very little energy.
Depending on the model - it could also be losing energy sitting idle, especially if it has a fancy lcd display or whatnot.
Oh, no, this is perfectly safe. Well, mostly safe. You see, by talking on your cell phone and sitting right next to your wireless laptop while using your bluetooth keyboard and mouse, the incremental exposure of these charging systems will change your liklihood of getting radiation induced cancers from 1.00 to 1.00. As they say - don't sweat the small stuff!
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Improves???
I had a "charge mat" back in 1992. It was my college Final Project for my electronics engineering degree.
I had a mat that you simply threw your newton, cellphone and other objects on and they charged. I build the inductive coils and circuits that fit in the devices to be charged.
Their idea is not new, and neither was mine. I based my project on research from Tesla and others.
My problem is that the morons at the Patent office will give these idiots a patent on something that is not special in any way.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
What if you have a camera or scanner that needs to travel in a circle around an object of interest? As an example, my power electronics lab is currently creating just such a device for an EEG scanner that must circle travel 360 degrees around the patient. Doesn't seem so cheesy to me...
"Don't hate the media, become the media." -Jello Biafra
I wonder how the 'Pad' one would work with electric cars. Imagine being able to drive into a docking station, waiting a few minutes after you drive over the plate and then go? It seems like a great application for this kind of thing.
I am not sure, but I think that (in this case) the charge must be plugged in. You would still need a wiring harness in the fashion that you are mentioning. But, of course, I am not physically looking at how your setup is and am sure that you have figured a way around that. I don't think the idea is silly, it does tout advantages and opens up useful tools that were not available before. I do agree with several other posters in the idea that calling it "wireless" is a little off. Makes me feel like a used-car dealer is talking to me.
IMO it is wireless. I just do not see what is the point. I could see a point in having a wireless mouse or keyboard which is being continuously powered at a distance for example. Using it for merely recharging does not make much sense to me. I mean, it will waste more energy than using a cable.
This type of device would go great for airlines and trays. One can use portable devices longer and recharge when needed right there on the plane.
\
I recall some fellow techs were working with building planning (.edu) to try
.edu, after all).
and get a conference room wired for power/networks.
Well, the specs were there, but ignored and the floor was poured and set, only
no power, no network.
We were livid (ok, I was amused...this is still a
One of the higher ups grilled the front man about the situation and wireless networks
were just getting usable, and it was decided that was the best option.
Then he had to ask "What about wireless power?"
Ever the diplomat, the front man gave a good answer of "no can do" and maintained composure.
Only after he left, I piped up "Sure you can have wirelss power....It's called LIGHTNING!"
The whole room went silent for a few seconds and then erupted in laughter.
Became a running gag for a few months, too, if we got annoyed at each other we'd do a "spell casting"
motion and shout "wireless power" a few times.
Heh.
Have you read the moderator guidelines? Well, have you, PUNK? (and I want a Karma: Gnarly option)
Wiring harness? The point is that there is no wiring harness. Another application would be moving head nightclub lights, which are currently limited to about 540 degrees of rotation. How cool would it be to have a light that can spin forever on multiple axes?
"Don't hate the media, become the media." -Jello Biafra
I think it's more basic than that. Why aren't more devices made using a standard power source?
I think that for small devices, USB should be a standardized charge option.
It's present on all laptops, many palm tops, and iPod chargers show that the idea is quite feasible.
I have a cell phone that uses a combination charger/data cable plug on the bottom of it. The plug is a mini-USB plug. I can plug the phone into the charger, and it charges, 12 volts. I can plug the phone into a USB data cable on my Linux laptop, and it charges. But strangely, not if I'm running Windows or OSX. Also, I can't charge it using an iPod charger - it specifically says "unauthorized charger".
WTF? Why would they do this?
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
actually, until this post I couldn't think of much that this could improve in my life but imagine a mouse pad that charged a wireless mouse - always on, never flat mouse with no additional work. of course then you have the problem of having a wired mousepad for your wireless mouse...
I suppose you could make the whole desk an induction charging pad, that way you could chuck a pot on it and cook up some instant noodles.
It would be really cool to through anything on to a pad to recharge it but one thing keeps nagging at me that nobody ever seems to ask:
How do you talk on your cellphone and charge it at the same time without resorting to spending money on a headset? Wouldn't you look really silly and be really uncomfortable talking with your head against the table?
More than likely, battery companies would first have to agree on a standard way of building their batteries. They could then sacrifice some battery real-estate to the induction charger. For the consumer, they would have a choice between a longer lasting battery, and a wireless rechargeable battery.
We have known about environmental damage for at least 50 years. Conservationists say No to hydroelectric, wind, or solar power, no fossil fuels; petroleum, coal, natural gas or methane. It appears that we have no way to protect the environment; yet we have to exist. What is the best method? I would vote for Methane, however, that would damage the environment. (This does get ridiculous!) Ernie, Columbus, Ohio (Even today.................GO BUCKEYES)
The wiring harness would be needed for the charger. It still has to be plugged in. That is what everyone is talking about it not being truly wireless. The device itself is wireless, yes, but not the base. If you were to charge something wirelessly, most people take it to mean that there are no direct connections needed to recharge it. There is really no difference when you recharge your razor by placing in in a cradle that is plugged in, from recharging it by plugging it into a wall socket. All you are really doing is making the physical connection. I can cut wiring from a device that uses a battery cell, and call it wireless, but I still need to reconnect he wires to charge it.
Obviously everything needs to get power from somewhere, but there are advantages to using a contact-less power transfer method. The amount of power required by the MRI (not EEG, I must have been half asleep) is far too much to draw from a battery also mounted in the moving head mechanism. In this case the only alternative is to deal with long coiled cables, which is not only a pain but a large safety concern. An interesting characteristic of my transformer is that the primary is one large single turn (48 inches in diameter!) and the secondary is inside the moving head, along with the MRI scanner (similar to a toothbrush/shaver). The scanner then "drives" itself around the ring, circling the patient, receiving power by induction the entire time. (I'm not being disagreeable, but I think we were discussing different points earlier)
"Don't hate the media, become the media." -Jello Biafra