technology

Wireless Electricity Is Here (Seriously)

By: Paul Hochman 0 Comments Email I'm standing next to a Croatian-born American genius in a half-em ty office in !aterto"n# $assachusetts# and I'm about to be fried to a cris % &r I'm about to "itness the greatest ad'ance in electrical science in a hundred years% $aybe both% Either "ay# all I can thin( of is my electrician# Billy )ulli'an% )ulli'an has ** tattoos and a 'oice marinated in +ac( ,aniels% ,uring my recent home reno'ation# he roared at me "hen I got too close to his o en electrical anel: -I'm the +uice $an.- he shouted% -)tay the hell a"ay from my /uice.He "as right% &nly gods mess "ith electrons% &nly a fool "ould shoot them into the air% And yet# I'm in a conference room "ith a scientist "ho is going to let *00 'olts fly out of the "all# on ur ose% -,on't "orry#- says the $I1 assistant rofessor and a 0002 $acArthur genius-grant "inner# $arin )ol/acic 3 ronounced SOLE-ya-cheech4# "ho designed the box he's about to turn on% -5ou "ill be o(ay%!e both shift our ga6e to an un lugged 1oshiba tele'ision set sitting 7 feet a"ay on a folding table% He's got to be (idding: 1here is no o"er cord attached to it% It's off% ,ar(% )ilent% -5ou ready8- he as(s% If )ol/acic is correct -- if his free-range electrons can o"er u this untethered 19 from across a room -- he "ill ha'e erformed a feat of hysics so subtle and so rofound it could change the "orld% It could also ma(e him a billionaire% I hold my breath and co'er my crotch% )ol/acic fli s the s"itch% Soljacic isn't the first man to try to o"er distant electronic de'ices by sending electrons through the air% He isn't e'en the first man from the Bal(ans to try% $ost agree that )erbian in'entor :i(ola 1esla# "ho "ent on to father many of the in'entions that define the modern electronic era# "as the first to let electrons off their leash# in *2;0% 1esla based his "ireless electricity idea on a conce t (no"n as electromagnetic induction# "hich "as disco'ered by $ichael <araday in *2=* and holds that electric current flo"ing through one "ire can induce current to flo" in another "ire# nearby% 1o illustrate that rinci le# 1esla built t"o huge -!orld Po"er- to"ers that "ould broadcast current into the American air# to be recei'ed remotely by electrical de'ices around the globe% <e" belie'ed it could "or(% And to be fair to the doubters# it didn't# exactly% !hen 1esla first s"itched on his 000-foot-tall# *#000#000-'olt Colorado ) rings to"er# *=0-

foot-long bolts of electricity shot out of it# s ar(s lea ed u at the toes of assersby# and the grass around the lab glo"ed blue% It "as too much# too soon% But stra on your rubber boots> 1esla's dream has come true% After more than *00 years of dashed ho es# se'eral com anies are coming to mar(et "ith technologies that can safely transmit o"er through the air -- a brea(through that ortends the literal and figurati'e untethering of our electronic age% ?ntil this de'elo ment# after all# the hrase -mobile electronics- has been a lie: Ho" ortable is your la to if it has to feed e'ery four hours# li(e an embryo# through a cord8 Ho" mobile is your hone if it shuts do"n after too long a"ay from a lug8 And ho" flexible is your business if your roduction area can't shift because you can't mo'e the ceiling lights8 1he "orld is about to be cured of its attachment disorder% WIRELESS JUICE ! "RI#ER 1ECH *: In$ucti%e Cou&ling A'ailability: !&ril '' (HE )IRS( WIRELESS "*WERI+, S-S(E# to mar(et is an inducti'e de'ice# much li(e the one 1esla sa" in his dreams# but a lot smaller% It loo(s li(e a mouse ad and can send o"er through the air# o'er a distance of u to a fe" inches% A o"ered coil inside that ad creates a magnetic field# "hich as <araday redicted# induces current to flo" through a small secondary coil that's built into any ortable de'ice# such as a flashlight# a hone# or a Blac(Berry% 1he electrical current that then flo"s in that secondary coil charges the de'ice's onboard rechargeable battery% 31hat iPhone in your oc(et has yet to be outfitted "ith this tiny coil# but# as "e'll see# a number of com anies are about to introduce roducts that are%4 1he ractical benefit of this a roach is huge% 5ou can dro any number of de'ices on the charging ad# and they "ill recharge -- "irelessly% :o more tangle of o"er cables or /umble of charging stations% !hat's more# because you are in'isible to the magnetic fields created by the system# no electricity "ill flo" into you if you stray bet"een de'ice and ad% :or are there any ex osed -hot- metal connections% And the ads are smart: 1heir built-in coils are dri'en by integrated circuits# "hich (no" if the de'ice sitting on them is authori6ed to recei'e o"er# or if it needs o"er at all% )o you "on't charge your car (eys% &r o'ercharge your flashlight% 1he dominant layer in this technology for the moment seems to be $ichigan-based <ulton Inno'ation# "hich un'eiled its first set of "irelessly charged consumer roducts at the Consumer Electronics )ho" early this year% Come A ril# <ulton's ne" ad-based eCou led system "ill be a'ailable to olice# fire-and-rescue# and contractor fleets -- an initial mar(et of as many as @00#000 'ehicles annually% 1he system is being integrated into a truc( console designed and roduced by Aeggett B Platt# a CD%= billion commercial shel'ing giant> it allo"s users to charge anything from a com atible rechargeable flashlight to a P,A% 1he tools and other de'ices no" in the i eline at com anies such as Bosch# Energi6er# and others "ill loo( /ust li(e their con'entional ancestors% Com anies such as Phili s Electronics# &lym us# and Aogitech "ill create a standard for roducts# from flashlights to drills to cell hones to 19 remotes# by the end of this year%

1ECH 0: Ra$io.fre/uency Har%esting A'ailability: !&ril '' (HE I+0UC(I*+ S-S(E#S are only the beginning% )ome of the most 'isually arresting exam les of "ireless electricity are based on "hat's (no"n as radio freEuency# or F<% !hile less efficient# they "or( across distances of u to 27 feet% In these systems# electricity is transformed into radio "a'es# "hich are transmitted across a room# then recei'ed by so-called o"er har'esters and translated bac( into lo"-'oltage direct current% Imagine smo(e detectors or cloc(s that ne'er need their batteries re laced% )ound tri'ial8 Consider: Aast :o'ember# to sa'e on labor costs# General $otors canceled the regularly scheduled battery re lacement in the 7H0 "all cloc(s at its $ilford Pro'ing Ground headEuarters% 1his technology is already being used by the ,e artment of ,efense% 1his year# it "ill be a'ailable to consumers in the form of a fe" small a liances and "ireless sensors> do"n the road# it "ill a ear in "ireless boxes into "hich you can toss any and all of your electronics for recharging% 1ECH =: #agnetically Cou&le$ Resonance A'ailability: 12.13 months '' I+4E+(E0 5- #I('S S*LJ!CIC 3"ho has dubbed it !i1ricity4# the techniEue can o"er an entire room# assuming the room is filled "ith enabled de'ices% 1hough !i1ricity uses t"o coils -- one o"ered# one not# /ust li(e eCou led's system -- it differs radically in the follo"ing "ay: )ol/acic's coils don't ha'e to be close to each other to transfer energy% Instead# they de end on so-called magnetic resonance% Ai(e acoustical resonance# "hich allo"s an o era singer to brea( a glass across the room by 'ibrating it "ith the correct freEuency of her 'oice's sound "a'es# magnetic resonance can launch an energetic res onse in something far a"ay% In this case# the res onse is the flo" of electricity out of the recei'ing coil and into the de'ice to "hich it's connected% 1he only ca'eat is that recei'ing coil must be ro erly -tuned- to match the o"ered coil# in the "ay that luc(ing a , string on any tuned iano "ill set all the , strings to 'ibrating# but lea'e all other notes still and silent% 31his ex lains "hy )ol/acic considers the machinery that create these freEuencies# and the sha e of the coils# to secret%4 Im ortantly# then# !i1ricity doesn't de end on line-of-sight% A o"ered coil in your basement could o"er the rest of the house# "irelessly% !ill the cat be o(ay8 -Biological organisms are in'isible to# and unaffected by# a magnetic field#- )ol/acic says% !hile I am mulling that statement# he tells me the com any "ill not yet re'eal the name of its artners because those artnershi s ha'en't been formali6ed# but they include ma/or consumer electronics brands and some ?%)% defense customers% !s has 6een the tra$ition since :i(ola 1esla and 1homas Edison angrily arted "ays in *227# the enormous consumer demand for "ireless electricity is begetting intense com etition% Aast :o'ember# a consortium of manufacturers coalesced around <ulton's eCou led system% But <ulton and !i1ricity aren't the only com anies fighting to bring "ireless electricity to mar(et% !iPo"er# in Altamonte ) rings# <lorida# has also created an induction system and says it# too# is close to announcing artnershi s% And Pittsburgh-based Po"ercast# an F< system# sells "ireless Christmas ornaments and is testing industrial sensors for release this summer%

+ust as 1esla derided his doubters as -nothing more than microbes of a nasty disease#some name-calling is ine'itable in this increasingly heated battle% !iPo"er# for exam le# insists that the eCou led technology a roach has se'eral roblems% -1heir system is 'ery sensiti'e to alignment# and I''e heard there's a heating issue#- says CE& Fyan 1seng% -&ur system is more elegant# much less ex ensi'e# and easier for manufacturers to integrate%- $ean"hile# Po"ercast calls ,a'e Baarman# <ulton Inno'ation's director of ad'anced technologies# -irres onsible- for "ondering aloud "hether F< o"er solutions could be dangerous around acema(ers and o"ered "heelchairs% -It's com etiti'e dri'el#- says )te'e ,ay# Po"ercast's 9P of mar(eting and strategic lanning% -Baarman has been saying this for a cou le of years# because "hat "e do "ill e'entually re lace "hat he does%But as I stand# co'ering myself# in that featureless suburban conference room# such bic(ering fades to bac(ground noise% Because "ith 1esla's *00-foot-long lightning bolts and blue grass 'i'id in my mind# I ha'e a big Euestion: !ill )ol/acic# the $acArthur <oundation fello"# be able to turn on that 1oshiba 19 from across the room8 &r "ill I be bathed in a magnetic field so intense my molecules all align to face true north8 After he fli s the s"itch# the little tele'ision# 7 feet a"ay# s rings to life% !irelessly% 1he ,9, layer inside s ins u to a lo" "hine% Colors flic(er on the mo'ing screen% And )ol/acic's eyes dance "ith the reflected light of the image% Paul Hochman is the gear and tech editor for 1oday on NBC and host of MSN.com's ear!addy.