Startup Company Aims To Bring Wireless Electricity To Appliances

Wireless electricity is not a new concept as this was demonstrated over 100 years ago by Nikola Tesla.  While this may seem like a solution to the problem of unsightly wires its commercial application is still not feasible. One startup company aims to change this by aiming to make wireless electricity accessible to all.

wireless electricity

WiTricity is the company whose vision is to develop a family of wireless electric power components that can be used by manufacturers  to make their devices truly wireless. If things go according to plans Cell phones, game controllers, laptop computers, mobile robots, even electric vehicles will be able to re-charge themselves wirelessly.

According to Dr. Katie Hall, chief technology officer of WiTricity, “We’re going to transfer power without any kind of wires. I can’t even imagine how things will change when we live like that.”

So how does the company aim to achieve wireless electricity? Hall says “we’re not actually putting electricity in the air. What we’re doing is putting a magnetic field in the air.” A Source Resonator is used that generates an electrical field when power is applied to it. If another coil is brought near it an electrical charge is generated even without wires. Hall says that “When you bring a device into that magnetic field, it induces a current in the device, and by that you’re able to transfer power.”

Consumers who fear that they might get zapped by the magnetic field have nothing to fear. In fact, it is just the same field that is being used by Wi-Fi routers.

The company has already demonstrated this technology by powering laptops, cell-phones, and TVs. An electric car refueller is already being planned as well.

via cnn