Let me mention two things before proceeding any further – Wireless does not mean mobile and and ‘truly’ is very important here. Getting rid of fixed landline phones took almost a decade. Still there is one last string attached to phone or laptop, the power cable. The idea is to discuss Wireless electricity (far from being mobile electricity), its importance and how far we are from some very interesting days ahead.
GSM was indeed the revolution, the kind we are waiting to see again after so many years. Mankind has not looked back since then as far as telecommunications is concerned. With moving from circuit switched networks, primarily made for speech; to packet data networks, it has been a very interesting journey. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) made it possible to browse through internet, wirelessly and while being mobile. With more and more need for higher data rates and low latency, HSPA, 3G, WiMax-m and LTE became the buzzwords. Communications domain has evolved and so has the ways we communicate.
The next revolution is not just around the corner wherein everything goes wireless, but its already happening. While 4G wireless transmission technologies are enabling wireless applications like Mobile-TV, video conferencing with better audio/video qualities, it needs more and more energy. Therefore is the need for longer and longer so called standby and talk times (better to replace with ‘application times’). Hence, what’s actually next around the corner is ‘wireless electricity’ or to better say it ‘wireless energy’ without which nothing is ‘truly wireless’.
There are some means to actually deliver wireless energy like batteries that never last but because this is far too optimistic, batteries that charge wirelessly is cautious optimism. Even to start with, I have felt the need for mobile to mobile charging when my phone is out while my friends are charged to limit. In its simplest form, energy transfer from one wireless device to another wireless device (even if it’s through a cable), is a form of usable wireless energy. WiTricity Corp is doing pioneering work in this domain which is an offshoot of MIT research. It has demonstrated lightning of a 60W bulb, at a distance of 2 meters by transferring magnetic energy using resonant coupling.
There is no technology company either that has not moved seeing this technology juggernaut coming its way including Nokia, Phillips, Intel, Samsung, Sanyo, Duracell and many others. Wireless power consortium (Qi, of which Nokia is also a member) is about to come with first wireless electricity standard.
Vihaan Networks recently launched a solar powered GSM system which provides communication services in remote villages where not even roads or electricity has reached. This winning product has hugely cut down on cost to setup the system along with having zero maintenance costs. China is longing to become biggest player in solar power. Recently, it has created a large array of glasses to focus solar energy into single usable source. Research is also going on to create a single beam in space from solar energy. Therefore, I see solar power as hugely available wireless energy which is waiting to be exploited.
GSM was indeed the revolution, the kind we are waiting to see again after so many years. Mankind has not looked back since then as far as telecommunications is concerned. With moving from circuit switched networks, primarily made for speech; to packet data networks, it has been a very interesting journey. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) made it possible to browse through internet, wirelessly and while being mobile. With more and more need for higher data rates and low latency, HSPA, 3G, WiMax-m and LTE became the buzzwords. Communications domain has evolved and so has the ways we communicate.
The next revolution is not just around the corner wherein everything goes wireless, but its already happening. While 4G wireless transmission technologies are enabling wireless applications like Mobile-TV, video conferencing with better audio/video qualities, it needs more and more energy. Therefore is the need for longer and longer so called standby and talk times (better to replace with ‘application times’). Hence, what’s actually next around the corner is ‘wireless electricity’ or to better say it ‘wireless energy’ without which nothing is ‘truly wireless’.
There are some means to actually deliver wireless energy like batteries that never last but because this is far too optimistic, batteries that charge wirelessly is cautious optimism. Even to start with, I have felt the need for mobile to mobile charging when my phone is out while my friends are charged to limit. In its simplest form, energy transfer from one wireless device to another wireless device (even if it’s through a cable), is a form of usable wireless energy. WiTricity Corp is doing pioneering work in this domain which is an offshoot of MIT research. It has demonstrated lightning of a 60W bulb, at a distance of 2 meters by transferring magnetic energy using resonant coupling.
There is no technology company either that has not moved seeing this technology juggernaut coming its way including Nokia, Phillips, Intel, Samsung, Sanyo, Duracell and many others. Wireless power consortium (Qi, of which Nokia is also a member) is about to come with first wireless electricity standard.
Vihaan Networks recently launched a solar powered GSM system which provides communication services in remote villages where not even roads or electricity has reached. This winning product has hugely cut down on cost to setup the system along with having zero maintenance costs. China is longing to become biggest player in solar power. Recently, it has created a large array of glasses to focus solar energy into single usable source. Research is also going on to create a single beam in space from solar energy. Therefore, I see solar power as hugely available wireless energy which is waiting to be exploited.
Wireless power, is indeed one of most exciting and promising domains in near future.
References:
http://www.witricity.com/index.html
http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/index.html
http://www.physorg.com/news172224356.html
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