The end of the plug?

[Minuteman]

The end of the plug? Scientists invent wireless device that beams electricity through your home
by DAVID DERBYSHIRE -Daily Mail

Scientists have sounded the death knell for the plug and power lead.

In a breakthrough that sounds like something out of Star Trek, they have discovered a way of 'beaming' power across a room into a light bulb, mobile phone or laptop computer without wires or cables.

In the first successful trial of its kind, the team was able to illuminate a 60-watt light bulb 7ft away.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=460602&in_page_id=1965


http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/06_01/wirelessDM0806_800x1197.jpg

[barbeer]

I already see a couple of tumors forming on her body! :roll:

[ryan_618]

Wasn't Nikola Tesla doing this 100 years ago?

[Minuteman]

How would it be metered? :confused:

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

People will demand this, while at the same time show up at a community meeting to decry a utility's plans to expand a substation next to a primary school, for fear of EMF's!

[charlie b]

Here's the next great idea (you're too late to steal it, because I am already on my way to the patent office :D ): Wrap one of these coils around the big water tower, and supply power to the entire town! :)

[macmikeman]

Ark fault radio interupters for bedroom reception, and ground fault radio wave interrupters for when you walk outside and sit beside the pool?8-)

[George Stolz]

She's pretty cute, it must be a good idea. :D

[barbeer]

What did my buddy always used to tell me? - "I have forgotten more than you know."

[Sass5150]

"If it works and it's safe, it will be one of the greatest achievements ever."
Good luck with the safe part.

[satcom]

Wasn't Nikola Tesla doing this 100 years ago?


Oh my ! He can't be serious that he made a discovery, MIT must be going down the tubes.

[ptonsparky]

How much power will it consume while generating this wireless electricity? Will Aunt Bertha dim the lights as she walks thru the house? Good thing those underwire garments are just about non existant.

[Dennis Alwon]

In the first successful trial of its kind, the team was able to illuminate a 60-watt light bulb 7ft away.


Go stand under a high tension wire with a fluorescent tube in your hand and it will light. Lots of emf's there also but who'd want to live under one.

[LarryFine]

After all of the discussions we've had about issues with 3-way travelers not being run with the supply and/or neutral conductors, we're now going to intentionally install strong, focussed electrical fields? :rolleyes:



http://www.hiarchive.co.uk/vital/al.jpg

"I don't think so, Tim!"

[iwire]

No one here seems to see the joke nature of this device? :grin:

[iwire]

Well I thought this was a joke, I was apparently wrong.

I did some more checking and found that the research was done at MIT. I went to MIT's own site and found their side of it.

In my opinion the original link exaggerated the potential a bit, it appears they are thinking of low power items.

"MIT team experimentally demonstrates wireless power transfer, potentially useful for powering laptops, cell phones without cords"

Here is the MIT News story with more technical details.

Goodbye wires… (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/wireless-0607.html)

[JohnJ0906]

They state that a 60 watt light bulb was lit from 7 feet away. Now, my question is, were any of the test team willing to stand between the source and the light bulb?:D

[satcom]

Well I thought this was a joke, I was apparently wrong.

I did some more checking and found that the research was done at MIT. I went to MIT's own site and found their side of it.

In my opinion the original link exaggerated the potential a bit, it appears they are thinking of low power items.

"MIT team experimentally demonstrates wireless power transfer, potentially useful for powering laptops, cell phones without cords"

Here is the MIT News story with more technical details.

Goodbye wires… (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/wireless-0607.html)

Good post Bob, I also went to the site, and I have no fear that I will be turning my cable in for scrap in the near future.

[stickboy1375]

This made the front page of my local paper this morning...

[George Stolz]

For those that think this is weird... wait, that's everybody. :D

Hey, everybody: According to Popular Mechanics (Dec 2006 issue) the military literally has a "ray gun". Check out the story here (http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4202262.html).

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/1206pain_truckx.jpg

It's essentially a microwave on steroids, and they offer assurances that it's merely for inflicting pain (as opposed to death), but it's still smacks of science fiction, much like the original post of this thread.

I can't imagine what will be commonplace in 25 years, much less a 100.

[iwire]

George they demonstrated the 'ray' gun on the Future Weapons (http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/future-weapons/future-weapons.html) show.

The host (Richard "Mack" Machowicz)was exposed to it and said it felt like an instant bad sunburn, as soon as you moved out from the beam the pain stopped.

Here is some more info..Active Denial System (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Denial_System)

[winnie]

Not a joke...though certainly not an efficient way to deliver significant power. The article at MIT points to some earlier articles, and one of the comments on the article points to an ABB system that already uses this technology, but for extremely low power sensors in a production cell.

http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/18836/page1/

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/17791/page1/

http://www02.abb.com/global/gad/gad02077.nsf/lupLongContent/8F5AF02295587AC5C1257192002D50F9

-Jon

[Twoskinsoneman]

I remember hearing about this quite awhile ago also.
http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/3973

[cadpoint]

Oh here we go, Lead ceiling, walls, Zones ? Did anyone test to see if the

phone rang while it was being beamed ? Lead houses to stop the charge

from going to your neighbor. Lead houses would stop the incoming free

waves of a phone call, hmmm..., let me coin the Phrase now "the Lead

Portal". Where now designing your house with a 100% Portal charger

Ready. Oh and don't forget to seal off that device hole with Lead

shielding. ...

I do like the statement its all safe, well gezz just cause there

using higher Hz freq. does that make it safer ? ¿

Its all part of the electro Magnetic Spectrum, HELLO..

[S'mise]

I wonder how reception would sound on my AM radio?
Poor Tesla must be rolling in his grave, Another stolen idea.

[LarryFine]

Poor Tesla must be rolling in his grave.Of course, you know what Tesla would say if he were alive right now:

"Hey! Let me outta here! I can't breath! Help!!"