| The audience is holding their breath, staring at the | | | | would almost be similar to the earth's magnetic field, |
| unplugged electric bulb on the stage. The magician | | | | which is not harmful to any biological/ living thing, not |
| circles around it, rolls his magic stick & voila, the | | | | even your cat. |
| bulb glows. The five year olds pop their eyes out. If | | | | Some figures |
| you still live in that era, then it's time to refresh your | | | | Can you imagine, how much do we invest in |
| memory. Just stick with me. | | | | infrastructure for electricity distribution? Trillions of US |
| Looking Back | | | | dollar. And I mean just the transportation & |
| And, if you think this is a 21st century phenomenon, | | | | distribution, nothing else. Batteries are also very |
| you're wrong again. Nikola Tesla has worked on this | | | | costly. We spend around $40 billion every year for |
| concept for long time. He, in fact, has several patents | | | | batteries. Once out of use, these batteries |
| on his name. And, it was 1890. Electricity was just in | | | | disintegrate & add up to garbage. More |
| its nascent stages & there was hardly any | | | | environmental issues. Again, average cost of energy |
| 'wired infrastructure'. Tesla just could not imagine the | | | | from battery is 200-300 pounds kW/hour. That's a |
| vast infrastructure to transport the electricity all over | | | | lot. A lot. With wireless electricity we avoid all of this. |
| the world. | | | | Of course, like any new technology we must invest |
| How on earth, is it done? | | | | some amount in it, but that's going to pay back |
| One way to do it is - EMI (Electro-Magnetic | | | | some time later. |
| Induction). It is based on the principle that, electric | | | | What would it change? |
| current flowing through one wire can induce current | | | | How mobile is your mobile phone with a limited |
| flow in another wire. This system is very efficient in | | | | battery back-up? Or a laptop for that matter? |
| transmission. The problem with is that electricity can | | | | Imagine your home without those ugly looking cables |
| only be transmitted over a small distance, due to | | | | & clumsy mess of wires. If it seems like a |
| limitations on distance between two wires. | | | | distinct dream, this is news for you. A lot of |
| Nevertheless, it can be used to charge appliances | | | | companies have already announced products that |
| that are stationary for most of the time. Like your | | | | support wireless electricity - cell phones, laptops etc. |
| electric tooth-brush. Just place a 'Power Mat' under it. | | | | They will be commercially available in sometime like |
| To achieve transfers over great distances, scientists | | | | December 09. In five or so years this will be a |
| have also demonstrated transmission through radio | | | | common thing. |
| waves. Such, RF systems works over great | | | | You can hang television set on the wall & I |
| distances but are less efficient. | | | | mean 'just' the television. No wires. The next time |
| Third technology, 'Resonant Energy Transfer', | | | | you park your car in garage, or in a parking lot, it |
| combines positives of both the technologies | | | | automatically starts recharging. No need to plug in any |
| mentioned above. It works in the same manner the | | | | wire, just a 'Power Pad' beneath the car & we |
| Opera singer breaks a glass by her vocals. Here, you | | | | have found a solution for limited 'battery back up for |
| convert electric energy to magnetic, transfer it | | | | a car'. No more dependency on vanishing oil. Wireless |
| & then convert it back to electric energy. For | | | | electricity may also revolutionise the implanted Medical |
| magnetic resonance to occur the object is tuned to | | | | Device world. Implanted devices have a limited |
| the source frequency, so maximum energy is | | | | lifetime before the batteries can not be recharges |
| transferred to the intended object & very | | | | again. |
| negligible to 'off resonant objects'. This, by far, is the | | | | O.K, now, if Steven Spielberg knows that, I know |
| most efficient technology to make ' Wireless | | | | what his next movie is. 50 years from now on, all |
| Electricity' a reality. | | | | human beings use wireless electricity to make sure |
| How safe are the electrons flying around in air? | | | | their heart is beating all the time & no one dies. |
| 100%. Yes. It is non-radiative. Since we use magnetic | | | | But, due to 'power shortage', we start killing each |
| field to transfer electricity, there is no 'current/ | | | | other. Blah blah blah... I am definitely not going for |
| voltage thing' involved. The magnetic field generated | | | | that movie. |