(TED Lecture - Eric Giler)
Introduction:
Presented in this report is a technology that will be coming within the next ten years which will change how wireless electronics will work for centuries to come. Not only will this change how electronics work, but indeed create different style of life in the home and the office. This huge change will come from something called Witricity.
Since the late 1940s and 50s, when computer technology really started to hit the commercial and public world, computers have been on an exponential climb in technology. So much so that by the 1980s a computer with the same computing power of something the size of a large room could now fit in a backpack. The birth of personal computing had begun. Twenty years later, and computers are far beyond mainstream. Most people had at least one PC at home, and at work. An even bigger change was that the miniaturization of computers leads to realistic pocket size cell phones and laptop computers. The ability to communicate and transfer information quickly became more valuable than any precious metal. The internet provided a means for near instant communication across huge distances. The race was on to get internet connection to everyone, everywhere. Today 3 and 4g networks can provide those connections to many populated regions across the globe. New wireless technologies provide the means for us to be ‘un-plugged’, to be able to communicate whenever we need to.
Background:
Witricity is a technology that is actually based on the concepts originally proposed by Nikola Tesla in the late 1800s. Tesla had the idea of transmitting power wirelessly all over the world from central stations. In his day everyone thought that this could be possible, but after Tesla’s experiments it became apparent it would require much more energy then was actually transferred. The range was also extremely small, especially compared to the distance that power lines can go before a power drop off. In 2008 a team from MIT was able to make Tesla’s dream possible. Witricity uses alternating current and coils to create a resonating electromagnetic field, this field is able to transfer power to another coil attached to the device you want powered.
It works by each coil resonating at the same frequency, compared to everything else in the immediate area. Since no other objects in the room have this unique frequency the power is far less likely to travel into these objects. That fact makes the transfer far more efficient than anything Tesla ever achieved. Another consequence of these resonating frequencies is that once they are ‘locked’ in their respective frequencies they can be moved away from each other and still transfer electricity between each other.
Future:
In the future we could see this technology allow for wireless TVs, speakers, phones, and any other device you can think of. By doing so we would lessen our use of batteries which would thereby create a cleaner world. It would specifically impact the IT world in a big way. Better cell phones and laptops would allow wireless communication to enter a new age. This may also lead to computing in general to be unplugged. Allowing offices to turn from the classical cubical to more group oriented table space, where most people would be working on Ipad-like interfaces that would never have to be plugged in. Less money would have to be spent on power infrastructure allowing for more money and space to install fiber optic or other communication lines. This technology has even further impacts in fields not directly related to IT. Like electric cars that would get there power straight from the road.
Bibliography:
"Eric Giler Demos Wireless Electricity | Video on TED.com." TED: Ideas worth Spreading. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/eric_giler_demos_wireless_electricity.html>.
This source is a great visual description of the technology. It can be considered a pretty accurate report since the speaker, Giler, is one of the MIT scientists working on the project.
Karalis, Aristeidis, and Marin Soljacic. "Efficient Wireless Non-radiative Mid-range Energy Transfer." Annals of Physics January 323.1 (2008): 34-48. Print.
This source is a highly regarded physics journal which is contributed by many world renowned physicists, most of whom do not work directly with this particular project. Therefore what they say can be taken as unbiased.
Null, Christopher. "15 Hot New Technologies That Will Change Everything - Page 3 - PCWorld." Reviews and News on Tech Products, Software and Downloads - PCWorld. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://www.pcworld.com/article/152683-3/future_tech.html#5>.
This source is not as reputable as some of the others, but the technical data does check out with the others. This source also lays out the facts in easy to understand way if you do not know much about the topic.
Paulson, Linda D. "New Techniques Provides Energy." Computer April 43.4 (2010): 16-19. Print.
This is an easy to understand source, but much more renowned then PCWorld article. That makes it overall the best thing to read as a start to researching this topic.
"WiTricity Corp. — Basics of WiTricity Technology." WiTricity Corp. Home — Wireless Electricity Delivered Over Distance. Web. 25 Feb. 2011. <http://www.witricity.com/pages/technology.html>.
This source is going to be the most biased out of all the others for it is the company which is producing this technology. However, it does provide a means of getting some general overview and of course to get information about the company itself.
