User:Pijanamuha/Sandbox
| File:WiTricity logo.jpg | |
| Founder | Marin Soljačić |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Alex Gruzen, CEO |
| Website | www |
WiTricity is an American engineering company that makes devices that are able to transfer energy through air by using two coils. The technology used in those devices is also called WiTricity.
History[change | change source]
In 2007, Marin Soljačić and his team of scientists at MIT have made research about a system that could charge devices without connecting them to a power outlet with a wire.[1][2]. They named that research and the technology the WiTricity. The device they used for charging was a 60 watt light bulb. The main part of the system were two 5-turn copper coils with a radius of 60 cm (24 in). They were used to transfer energy from the power outlet to the device without a wire. One coil was connected to the power outlet, and another was 2 meters (7 ft) away connected to the light bulb. At that distance, 45% of the energy from the power outlet was transferred to the light bulb.[3] When the distance was changed to 3 feet, almost 90% of the energy was transferred from the power outlet to the light bulb.[4] Later the scientists continued their work in a private company, that they named WiTricity.
This new way of transferring energy was showed to the public in July 2009 by CEO Eric Giler at the TED Global Conference held in Oxford.[5] Giler showed the use of WiTricity in house or an office by turning on a television and three different cell phones by using this system. The charging cell phone without using the wire was the problem that got Soljačić interested in the WiTricity project.
In 2011 the company was given an investment from the car making company Toyota, and in June of 2014 form the computer company Intel. To make this technology more popular, in 2012 the company has made available a box with the WiTricity device to show how the device works to the interested companies.[6]
Technology[change | change source]
The WiTricity is made from two parts, one that is connected to the source and one that is connected to the device. This system has to be set in a specific way to work. Both coils have to be set to work best at a certain frequency. If two objects are operating at the same frequency, they are in resonance. When in resonance, the coils will exchange most of the energy with each other and not with the other objects around them. This is what makes difference when compared with other methods of transferring energy through air like simple induction, microwaves, or air ionization.
The range of operation of the WiTricity is only a few meters because it operates in the electromagnetic near field. This is the range where the distance between the source and device is less than a quarter of the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave. Because of its range of operation, the WiTricity uses almost only the magnetic fields to transfer energy, we could say that it is safe to use. The electric field which we can find in Tesla coils, can generate lightning and can connect with other things around them. Unlike the electric field, the magnetic field can't make lightnings and doesn't connect with most materials. Because of that energy transferred only to the device is increased which makes the magnetic field better for energy transfer.[7]
Similar technology can be found in transformers, but unlike in the transformers the coils are not connected to each other and are working on a set frequency. If we would use the traditional system that is not working on a set frequency, we would be able to transfer a million times less energy in the same conditions because a lot of energy would be wasted on the surrounding objects.[2] The researchers explain that the technology was not developed sooner because there was no interest since we didn't have so many devices that need to be charged every day.
Radiation levels[change | change source]
The only radiation that is happening is the magnetic field which are not dangerous for people in normal conditions. The WiTricity produces magnetic field similar to the one of Earth's magnetic field. We can also compare it to the MRI machine which has magnetic field 100 times stronger than WiTricity and is used safely in medicine.[7]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Wireless electricity could power consumer, industrial electronics". MIT News. 2006-11-14.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Goodbye wires…". MIT News. 2007-06-07.
- ↑ "Wireless Power Demonstrated".
- ↑ "Something Worthy Of Edison: Wireless Electricity". MedicalAutomation.org. November 2014. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ↑ "Wireless power system shown off". BBC. 23 July 2009.
- ↑ "Making a Wire-Free Future". MIT. July 10, 2014.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Aristeidis Karalis (November 2014). "Efficient wireless non-radiative mid-range energy transfer". Annals of Physics. 323: 34–48. arXiv:physics/0611063. Bibcode:2008AnPhy.323...34K. doi:10.1016/j.aop.2007.04.017.
Published online: April 2007
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