Scientists light bulb with "wireless electricity"
www.chinaview.cn 2007-06-08 13:45:03
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BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Scientists may have signaled an end to electric cords and batteries when they lit a 60-watt light bulb from a power source seven feet away without using a physical connection. The researchers have named their concept "WiTricity" as in "wireless electricity."

MIT physicist Marin Soljacic started thinking years ago about how to transmit power wirelessly so his cell phone could recharge without ever being plugged in.

The problem with wireless power transmission is that broadcasting energy in all directions can be very wasteful because a vast majority of power ends up being squandered into free space.

Soljacic and his colleagues devised WiTricity based on resonance. Two objects resonating at the same frequency tend to exchange energy efficiently, while interacting weakly with objects not resonating at the same frequency.

Instead of sound, the MIT physicists focused on magnetic fields. Most common materials interact only very weakly with magnetic fields, so little power would get wasted on unintended targets.

"The fact that magnetic fields interact so weakly with biological organisms is also important for safety considerations," said Soljacic's colleague, MIT physicist Andre Kurs.

The scientists designed two copper coils roughly 20 inches in diameter that were specially designed to resonate together. One was attached to the power source, the other to a light bulb. The practical demonstration of their earlier theoretical work managed to power the light bulb even when obstacles blocked direct line of sight between the source and device, findings detailed online June 7 in the journal Science.

The researchers demonstrated roughly 40 percent efficiency in power transfer. Kurs told LiveScience they are currently working on improving the efficiency of the power transfer as well as the maximum distance allowed.

"For the moment, we are focusing on power transfers on the order of 100 watts although, in principle, more power could be transferred," he added.

(Agencies)

A lot of Tesla's "nutty" theories are being implemented now. HAARP (http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/), from what I understand, is largely based on Tesla technology.

INDEED. everyone pretty much ignored him for most of his life (except for the ones who were trying to steal or kill his work. The average person has no idea how many animals thomas edison electrocuted trying to prove that AC power was evil and Tesla was some crackpot we should ignore) It would be interesting to see the governement release all of his notes and papers that they seized after his death.

Sending electricty through wires is dumb.
It was obviously meant to travel through air and earth, like lightning...

Mr. Contrary here...

Seven feet? At 40% efficiency? And people are worried about iPods effecting pacemakers...

"Two objects resonating at the same frequency tend to exchange energy efficiently, while interacting weakly with objects not resonating at the same frequency."

This is why all the members of your band should be consuming the same drugs.

Let's have Mr. Cheney go watch a demonstration of this and see what happens.

(lol, just kidding! Don't nobody report my silly comment to TIPS. I don't need a visit from the FBI.)

you're screwed now bud, just wait outside on the curb for the van to show up. you're allowed 1 suitcase and no electronic devices.

Indeed, first thing I thought when they aired this on the news over here yesterday was that this had already been done... So what's so groundbreaking about it?

At least, with wires, there's a degree of control about it. These new tests only work on very low levels and as for the claim about "magnetic fields interact so weakly with biological organisms is also important for safety considerations" - I couldn't fully believe that... Go ask people who have lived under power lines for one. PLUS this "breakthrough" hasn't yet accounted for what would happen should something go wrong with a Tesla... oops, MIT coil when it's delivering power to not 100w but a whole house, considerably more...

Not to mention the other possible use for this, as a weapon. Imagine a weapon capable of frying and blowing people to bits that could even be operated by batteries and controlled from the other side of the world! Basically an intergalactic Tazar... or GW planning another invasion... sorry, my bad again, "liberation" (It's late, I'm entitled to be sarcastic).

And I know they showed that objects don't necessarily affect the power transfer either but there IS a chance that it could be interfered with. From my own wireless tests in the house, the signal can be affected by certain objects that don't have to be in the direct line of sight.

Wired as opposed to wireless, concerning the "degree of control" remark.

Leflaw said-
"Sending electricty through wires is dumb.
It was obviously meant to travel through air and earth, like lightning..."

I don't know about anyone else, but when I see a flash of lightning, it appears to me like the electricity is traversing some unseen, pre-existing grid of invisible circuitry that is only noticible at these times.

Maybe the world is covered with these "grids", maybe in some relation to something like the "superstring theory" where everything in our universe is connected by countless unseen natural networks...enoumous webs that carry all manner of impulses and information.

Or maybe I smoked too much ganja when I was younger.

smoke some more and read up on Tesla's theorys about our Higher Power
I allways liked Tesla better then Edison.....