Tesla’s Dream in the Mainstream

If you’ve ever found yourself in a bind because you forgot your laptop or cell phone charger cord, a new technology may be exactly what you need.  New technologies are emerging that may revolutionize the way electronics are powered. Inductive charging, also known as wireless charging, is being released in a range of products new to the market, notably a new laptop from Dell Computers and the “PowerMat” by a startup venture of the same name. Inductive charging employs small coils in devices or pads to create a small area electromagnetic field around the device to recharge the battery.  The charging system will also turn off when the battery is full, allowing the charger to not waste energy. Wired chargers infamously continue to draw energy at a much higher clip even when the lithium ion battery has been recharged,  as sidewalk-placed informatives around the University of Minnesota’s IT buildings remind us daily.

A recent ComputerWorld article claimed wireless power charges could go mainstream as early as this year.  The goal of the new wireless charging technology is to replace plugs and power cords.  The technology could revolutionize how we charge appliances and make the times when a power cord or outlet can’t be found obsolete.

University of Minnesota engineering student George Shaffner is very intrigued by the idea of not needing power cords.  “The price will matter,” says Shaffner, “but when the capability and charge times improve it will replace batteries.”  He also noted what possibilities can come from the wireless technology.  “Think of the best implications, what if you could run a car with it?” Shaffner says.

Many companies are jumping on the opportunity to see what they can develop with the wireless charging technology.  The Palm Pre smartphone already uses the technology and is the first cell phone to use it.  Laptop companies are making changes immediately to jumpstart wireless charging computers.  Sony is working on a prototype  LCD television that works off the idea. This display could be portable or freely placeable in a house without concern about power cable wires.  GPS devices are also looking to use the technology so drivers don’t have to keep a charge wire around at all times and to render car-based units independent of wires.

Wireless induction has long been within the realm of super-science myth, both new and old. Institutions such as Bell Laboratories and M.I.T. have worked for decades meticulously refining and reproducing the wireless induction proposals of Nikola Tesla. Arguably the most venerated inventor of all time, and a tremendously gifted electrical engineer, Tesla experimented meticulously with the technology, even as his health and financing failed him. Now the use of this technology has moved from its niche in semiconductor manufacturing to its first steps in the mainstream tech market. It is possible that workrooms could add this technology to desks allowing employees to not have to worry about broken power cords ever again. The ability to charge without wires can have ambitious applications, and a slew of companies are scrambling to join the bonanza. Even in a time of curtailed consumer spending, there is money to be made from truly exceptional new technologies.

Tags: Technology