Pushing 800W of Wireless Power at 5 Meters 397
Joe Decker writes "The Nevada Lightning Laboratory has experimented with Nicola Tesla's methods of wireless power transmission to push 800 Watts over 5 meters, besting MITs mark of 60W over 2 meters last year. (May I dream of wireless laptop power? I hate power cords.)"
Nikola Tesla (Score:4, Funny)
The summary Nicola Tesla's
Who is right? The world may never know...
Maybe... (Score:5, Funny)
May I dream of wireless laptop power? I hate power cords
Depends - do you want kids in future?
Wow! (Score:4, Funny)
This is making my hair stand on end just thinking about this achievement.
Or I am a little too close.
Used for good? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Lets think about this for a while (Score:5, Funny)
"May I dream of wireless laptop power ?" (Score:5, Funny)
Re:more interesting: Self-Powered 'Automatons.' (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Lets think about this for a while (Score:4, Funny)
I think I'll pass on that. Don't really want that sort of power aimed directly at the boys.
This [flickr.com] early test subject agrees.
Re:Lets think about this for a while (Score:5, Funny)
One devices that replaces your power cords and condoms? How convenient.
Re:Maybe... (Score:5, Funny)
For those of you who are wondering about step 4, let the rest of us know when you figure it out cause I need to get out of this basement first before I figure it out.
Re:Maybe... (Score:5, Funny)
Your item #6 needs more unit testing.
I am not sure that 6 is profit. Usually it correlates to a loss in profits.
Re:Nikola Tesla (Score:2, Funny)
Finally good news! (Score:3, Funny)
We finally have a method of male contraception that doesn't involve surgery, abstinence, or a woman's permission! I'll take that laptop, son. I'm too old for more kids!
Re: aiming (Score:3, Funny)
It's not so much aimed, in this case. If you want some serious directional juice, I have here somewhere plans for a microwave cannon using a cast-off transducer from a microwave oven. The original designer was waging a war against boom box cars and other sonic terrorists, and he built one of these things to fry equipment in passing cars and stereos on the other side of apartment walls. Even with the best focusing he could manage, though, there was enough scatter that he was forced to wear "Faraday cages" around his face and balls; he wore a hockey mask with some sort of mesh over his face and actually stuffed his balls into a tomato paste can to keep them from cooking.
Re:Maybe... (Score:5, Funny)
For those of you who are wondering about step 4, let the rest of us know when you figure it out
Step 4 was not using wireless power on your lap
I thought it was kissing and holding hands at the same time.
Re:Maybe... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:hmmmm (Score:5, Funny)
Plus, I along with many, many others would not like to have my reproductive organs anywhere near such a device.
Wait... did you just invoke Rule # 34?
Re:hmmmm (Score:3, Funny)
The only way to get around (b) is to
But that is exactly the wrong way to think about things! If you only think about why it won't work, you'll never make anything new!
For example, you could say here: in order to get high efficiencies you would have to sit in a waveguide with nearly perfect reflectors on both ends. That could lead to buildings designed as such waveguides, etc. With new materials being developed with negative indexes of refraction at useful wavelengths, impossible waveguides are just more expensive.
not like to have my reproductive organs anywhere near such a device
Similarly, the obvious solution is to remove your reproductive organs at the door! Schnick!
Re:Lets think about this for a while (Score:5, Funny)
WARNING: Wireless Power does not protect against STDs.
(I see why those stupid warning labels are required now)
Re: aiming (Score:2, Funny)
...stuffed his balls into a tomato paste can to keep them from cooking.
Err, never mind.
Re:Nikola Tesla (Score:2, Funny)
Re:hmmmm (Score:3, Funny)
It's a well-known fact that eyeballs and testicles are first parts of the human body to fry under high-power RF exposure.
One Question, seriously (Score:4, Funny)
Re:hmmmm (Score:2, Funny)
But it would allow lazy US bums to not get out of the coach to change the plug!
"As seen on TV!"
Re:Finally good news! (Score:5, Funny)
We finally have a method of male contraception that doesn't involve surgery, abstinence, or a woman's permission! I'll take that laptop, son. I'm too old for more kids!
We already had one, it's called slashdot.
Re:Lets think about this for a while (Score:5, Funny)
>>>every time you step outdoors, the Sun bathes you in EM waves!
The What bathes me in EM waves? I need more info here to parse your sentence.
>look
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Re:hmmmm (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Lets think about this for a while (Score:2, Funny)
I'd like to start a class-action lawsuit against the Sun. What did the Sun know about these risks and when did it know?
Can you refer me to a reputable attorney? Or better yet, just an attorney.
Re:Maybe... (Score:2, Funny)
6. Profit!!
[citation needed]
Re:hmmmm (Score:3, Funny)
and that adult bath toy the battery powered vibrator.
Oh, pure genius! I never even *considered* taking adult toys into the bath! Sign me up for your newsletter!
Re:hmmmm (Score:3, Funny)
Rumor has it that military RF technicians used to irradiate themselves with the maximum PEL(permissible exposure level) of RF radiation to sterilize themselves for the weekend.
Let me be the first to say: You're doing it wrong!
Jesus Christ..... if there was ever a time when that meme was appropriate......
Re:hmmmm (Score:2, Funny)
As opposed to non-radioactive radiation?
Yes, non-radioactive like the radiation of heat from the ductwork in your house on a cold day, or from the side of an older toaster. Perhaps non-radioactive like the radiation of visible light from a fluorescent or incandescent light bulb. Radiation is just transmission of energy. It is not always due to radioactive decay.
Re:Lets think about this for a while (Score:3, Funny)
Well, it does have the potential ability to cause DNA recombination errors. Just like you have the potential ability of winning 50 times in the lottery, then get killed by a terrier thrown out of the 33rd floor by a bald 53 and a half year old man wearing only boxers.
In the same vein, I think we should ban terriers.
Re:hmmmm (Score:3, Funny)
By your logic, I believe everyone should drive around stretch hummers.
So what if it requires expensive infrastructure (far more road space) and is tremendously more inefficient. Everyone would be more comfortable and safer.
Clearly everyone should drive hummers as priuses also pollute and cause environmental damage in their creation.
Beyond that point, wireless power only makes sense in a few circumstances - namely when around something that is connected to the grid. You'll still need batteries, unless you expect planes, cars, parks, non-new age houses/cities, etc. to all have this wireless power.
And if you're talking about transmitting blanket wireless over entire cities...
1. It's tremendously inefficient. Physics will only allow it to be made so efficient, and that's still tremendously inefficient.
2. How will you keep track of who gets what energy? Oh yea, that's right, it's practically free, so there will be no worries.
3. Laptops and the like are getting much faster/more energy efficient. Even if this comes out tomorrow, it still won't be widely available for at least a decade. In the meantime, battery life will get better, so the impact won't be as great. Plugging in a computer at night isn't that big a deal.
4. We still haven't gotten high speed wireless yet. Wireless internet (802.11b) has been around for what, close to 9 years and we still haven't gotten anywhere close to providing 'free' or 'truly fast' internet, and coverage is still highly lacking - and wireless internet is relatively free and physics isn't against it.
If we developed cold fusion, it might be plausible. Of course when we develop such a plentiful energy source, we'll probably have developed a more efficient mobile power source, like fuel cells or http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/12/10/1821208 [slashdot.org] capacitors. Sorry to rain on your flying car. It'll be neat for certain applications, but I doubt it'll be something that important for laptops.