Wireless Electricity Technology

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The Wireless Power Consortium, out of Hong Kong China also experimented with Witricity. In December of 2007 there were only eight members in the Consortium, Convenient Power Limited, Fulton Innovation LLC, Logitech SA, National Semiconductor Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics N.V., Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Sang Fei Consumer Communications Co. Ltd. and Texas Instruments Incorporated. In January of 2009 Olympus was added as a member of the Consortium and in September of 2009 Nokia was added as a member of the Consortium, Also in May of 2009 four new members were added, Samsung, Duracell, Hosiden, Leggett and Platt. There are now over 100 members of the Wireless Consortium. All the members of the Consortium have one common goal and that is to focus on the different uses of Wireless Electricity and to set a universal standard of its operation. Each member of the Consortium contributes to the development of Witricity by either donating funds, helping in experiments, or using the organizations products to test the developments. So far the Consortium has came up with a logo for wireless electricity called the Qi (pronounced as Chee) which means , “an intangible flow of power” in Asian. The Consortium is looking forward to creating Qi receivers and transmitters that will be compatible with Qi devices. Some examples of the Consortium in motion would be the first cellular phones that would have Qi integration. Although there have been many experiments with wireless electricity the experiments done by Soljacic and his team are the experiments that do not require both the item that needs to be recharged (receiver) and the charging device (sender) to have a direct line of sight. This means that both objects do not need to be directly placed in front of the other.

The Wireless Electricity Power Calculator is currently being developed. The Witricity calculator will be used to measure the amount of power that is being consumed by devices such as the cellphone, laptop, and other household appliances. The user enters the amount of usage such as hourly, monthly, weekly, or yearly and the software then tabulates how much energy is used based on the information inputted. In the near future the Wireless Electricity Power Calculator will be used to calculate the amount that would need to be paid to the wireless electricity companies for usage.

Wireless Electricity, also coined, ‘Witricity” works by using a transmitter and a receiver, and is very similar to the modern day radio, whereas the device has to be in range of the transmitter. (Introduction to Witricity, 2007) The first man to discover that wireless electricity was possible is said to be Nikola Tesla who concluded that electric current flowing through one wire can induce current to flow in another wire, nearby. (Hochman, 2009) Although his theory was correct, when he tried to prove it, his experiment failed. It was not until much later that wireless electricity was to have its first success.

Improvements to Witricity

Instead of large copper coils, there are now products that have WiTricity built in such as the aforementioned Powermat, the LG cellular phone, and the eCoupled shelves. Also instead of using gigantic cables, testing is now being done where copper cables are installed in the ceilings and floors of buildings to test the feasibility of Witricity in the home. These experiments are being done so that developers can understand how much electrical current would be needed to charge household items such as Refrigerators, Televisions, Laptops, and Microwaves all at the same time. There would be no need to plug in a cellular phone to charge when the battery is dying since it will be charging while in use.

The only negative effect of Witricity being set up in a household this way would be that if there is too strong of a wireless electricity field individuals may be able to steal power from a neighbor, or nearby business. There is currently experimentation that is being done on designing wireless electricity towers.

Wireless Electricity is now used in many forms and it not used just to charge electronics. It can be used to charge golf carts, hybrid vehicles, mobile robots, laptops and wireless speakers. Witricity is also used to keep dogs in the yards of their owners by using the electromagnetic field to create an invisible fence that would keep the dogs in.

A company called WiTricity Corp is currently exploring different ways for wireless electricity to be used in hospitals. For example, using wireless electricity to charge defibrillators, pacemakers, this can help medical personnel to move faster in emergencies. Witricity Corp. is also researching the use of wireless electricity in various military equipment as well as unmanned aircrafts, and battery operated hand held devices that are currently being used.

Wireless Electricity is a science that has been around from previous years, however there was no need to explore this method of transferring electricity since there was not as many electronic devices like there is currently. With the inventions of the iPhones, Ipads, and with hybrid cars and other battery operated devices such as laptops, there is now a need for wireless electricity to be explored. A world without wires and cables is currently the main focus for various corporations. In the very near future there will be wireless electricity transmitters and receivers built into the walls of homes, in many more cars and not just the prototypes and even more cell phones will be equipped with the Qi capability, which will make for a more hands free way of living and also save energy.

Technology Information and Culture

Brian Winston author of Media Technology and Society: A History from the Telegraph to the Internet wrote “The earliest practical telephone transmitter consisted of a diaphragm attached to a wire (Winston, 1998). The end of the wire was dipped into a bowl containing an acid solution and an electrical contact fixed to the bowl (Winston, 1998). As the voice vibrated the diaphragm so the wire moved. This created a variable resistance in the solution which was registered through the contact. The device was used by Alexander Graham Bell to utter the immortal words “Mr. Watson come here I want you” on March 10, 1876” (Winston, 1998). Look how far technology has advanced since that time. We know have wireless devices that enable individuals to communicate on their wireless cell phones. Technology is constantly making strides. The technological advances are not slowing down or appearing to be stopping either. It is with that notion that we are able to utilize wireless electricity. Wireless electricity is the transfer of power to a device over the air.

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