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November - 2009 - issue > Tech Tracker

No Wires, No Plugs: Electricity Travels via Air

Eureka Bharali
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Eureka Bharali
Major technology companies like Dell and Palm are on a virtual scuffle for a firm footprint in the consumer devices market. To solve the nuisance of charging, wireless charging has become their latest bet. Amidst the stiff competition, the electronic device manufacturer Sony has outcast the rest with its new prototype. The device allows powering your personal TV without the messy cords.

Of course, a glance at today's hi-tech appliances shows that unsightly power cable has made an entrance. With the use of WiTricity or wireless electricity, even that unsightly cable is at risk. The novel concept got thumbs down when the experimental efforts of the scientist Nikola Tesla fell flat in 1917. A century down the line, Sony’s prototype has reworked on Tesla’s WiTricity efforts. As a feat of victory, the prototype allows 100 volt electricity supply over a distance of 50 centimeters to power a 22-inch LCD television. The flaw of the prototype lies in the transmission as, unfortunately, it wastes one fifth of the power fed into it, whereas transmission loss in wired transmission is one tenth. The additional losses occur in circuitry connected to the secondary coil. This implies that the original 80 watts of power is cut-short to 60 watts once it makes its way through the prototype.

There are lots of expectations from the prototype. Once it is commercialized for portables like mobiles and laptops, it will be a lot better than placing laptop on top of an induction coil. The technique still remains in its nascent stage. It will be adopted only when it works beyond any range, without the wastage of a single watt. Tesla may have failed in 1917; today his efforts are re-introduced by Sony to make it a part of every consumer article.
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