Sony develops 60W wireless power
updated 08:00 am EDT, Fri October 2, 2009
Sony preps strong wireless power
Sony finished the week with word of one of the first wireless power systems that could supply significant amounts of energy. The approach uses a magnetic resonance technique that has the device operating on a frequency receptive to that of the energy itself. In doing so, the current form of the invention can supply up to 60W of power over about 19.7 inches, or enough to power many notebook computers and some smaller TVs.
Researchers acknowledge the limits of the technology but also say advancements are likely. A receiver in between the two could extend the range of the wireless link to about 31.5 inches. The system is also only operating at about 60 percent efficiency, and with improvements could drive more power-hungry electronics.
Sony isn't certain at this stage when it might expect a full product but does plan to continue research. The breakthrough could lead to completely wireless devices that only need to sit near a base station or a special power outlet to work properly. At the present time, wireless technology has usually been limited either to experiments with low-power devices or to inductive charging that still requires physical contact, such as the Dell Latitude Z or the Touchstone charger for the Palm Pre. [via Impress]
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2001
Inverse Squares Law
Wouldn't the vast majority of the energy be lost? Energy would presumably radiate out in all directions, and only the radiation intercepted by the device would be absorbed and used. This seems incredibly wasteful.