Intel cuts electric cords with wireless power system

[CptSternn]

http://tinyurl.com/5p36cr

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Intel on Thursday showed off a wireless electric power system that analysts say could revolutionize modern life by freeing devices from transformers and wall outlets.

Intel chief technology officer Justin Rattner demonstrated a Wireless Energy Resonant Link as he spoke at the California firm's annual developers forum in San Francisco.

Electricity was sent wirelessly to a lamp on stage, lighting a 60 watt bulb that uses more power than a typical laptop computer.

Most importantly, the electricity was transmitted without zapping anything or anyone that got between the sending and receiving units.

"The trick with wireless power is not can you do it; it's can you do it safely and efficiently," Intel researcher Josh Smith said in an online video explaining the breakthrough.

"It turns out the human body is not affected by magnetic fields; it is affected by elective fields. So what we are doing is transmitting energy using the magnetic field not the electric field."

Examples of potential applications include airports, offices or other buildings that could be rigged to supply power to laptops, mobile telephones or other devices toted into them.

The technology could also be built into plugged in computer components, such as monitors, to enable them to broadcast power to devices left on desks or carried into rooms, according to Smith.

"Initially it eliminates chargers and eventually it eliminates batteries all together," analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group said of Intel's wireless power system.

"That is potentially a world changing event. This is the closest we've had to something being commercially available in this class."

Previous wireless power systems consisted basically of firing lightning bolts from sending to receiving units.

Smith says Intel's wireless power system is still in an early stage of development and much research remains before it can be brought to market.

Rattner spoke of technological transformations he expects by the year 2050.

"You'd like to cut the last cord," Smith said.

"It's great that we have wireless email and wireless internet and stuff like that but at the end of the day it would be nice to have wireless recharge as well."

[Raptor]

How come the magnetic fields don't mess with the electronics in a laptop? Or is it that why they used a lamp?

[Ishan]

Originally Posted by Raptor

How come the magnetic fields don't mess with the electronics in a laptop? Or is it that why they used a lamp?

I'm not sure how it works, completely, but there is a theory that you could use an amplitute modulation or other type of frequency mod to "transmit" your magnetic field ... the field would be embedded in a digital transmission of some kind ... for instance, every third byte would be a part of the magnetic field ...

You then set up a unit to "modulate" and "demodulate", just like the "MOdem" on a computer does with the bits and bytes of baud, which are actually packets with varying amounts of data within.

Perhaps this is where they are trying to go with this whole thing ... it makes sense - in the late '60's or early '70's NASA toyed with the idea of setting up Solar Stations in orbit and then using "tight-beam" transmissions to send the electricity back to earth, but they couldn' t get the funding 'cause we were busy fighting Vietnam - and then people became bored with space.

*sighs*

I'm tired of writing today

[Raptor]

That's not what I mean. Magnets can damage electronic equipment, a lamp is just a piece of wire really. I was asking if the field would be strong enough to damage a laptop for example. Maybe it's just too weak to cause any problems.

[Tam Li Hua]

Huh.

I dunno; I'd rather not have all the info that's currently on my computers, my cell phone, and all my other electronic stuff to be erased.

And plugging something into a wall socket free from injury shouldn't be -that- hard...

[Sir_Vex]

I'm thinking it's probably got something to do with the shape of the magnetic field, being as there are several different shapes that effect the area in different ways. They may also be developing efficient ways to shield computers and such from the effect, or at least dampen it to the point it's nearly negated.

[Ishan]

Originally Posted by Raptor

That's not what I mean. Magnets can damage electronic equipment, a lamp is just a piece of wire really. I was asking if the field would be strong enough to damage a laptop for example. Maybe it's just too weak to cause any problems.

The frequency modulation would carry the magnetic wave, thus shielding would be minimal or not required ... that was the reason for the lengthy explanation.

[Raptor]

Ah right. Sorry, I didn't understand what you were talking about, all of that seemed to be about communications to me. I still don't understand how modulation stops it affecting electronics? I've not learned much about magnetism really.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua

I dunno; I'd rather not have all the info that's currently on my computers, my cell phone, and all my other electronic stuff to be erased.

And plugging something into a wall socket free from injury shouldn't be -that- hard...

They would develop the technology sufficiently to find a way around the erasing before they put it on the market, if they haven't done so already.

And it's not the injury issue that they're really concerned about. It's the fact that even if you have wireless internet and wireless everything else, you still need wires to recharge your batteries, and this technology would eliminate that and make things completely wireless. The other advantage would be that you could plunk your lamps and stuff *anywhere* and not have to worry about cords for children to trip over and bunnies to eat.

[Renatus]

I wonder if they would be able to eventually develop it enough so that it can power much larger things like vehicles, Hydrogen powered vehicles obsolete by 2060? That might be good since for example it would end all high speed chases because the police could simply shut off the power feed to the vehicle, or stop out of control vehicles, drunk drivers and plain stupid people from getting in accidents. On the downside that would mean the government would have complete control over us.

[Joker_in_the_Pack]

Originally Posted by Renatus

On the downside that would mean the government would have complete control over us.

This is something new?

[Renatus]

Originally Posted by Joker_in_the_Pack

This is something new?

They have majority but not complete control, if we want to escape the country in a vehicle they can't stop you extremely easily, if you're lucky you'll get a high speed chase going. However if this were to happen they would be able to cut out the high speed chase and possibly even lock you in your car so you have no chance of escape.

[Joker_in_the_Pack]

Originally Posted by Renatus

They have majority but not complete control, if we want to escape the country in a vehicle they can't stop you extremely easily, if you're lucky you'll get a high speed chase going. However if this were to happen they would be able to cut out the high speed chase and possibly even lock you in your car so you have no chance of escape.

You better run then.

[Renatus]

Originally Posted by Joker_in_the_Pack

You better run then.

I'm working on it.