In the many years between the Mongolfier brothers and the Wright brothers people speculated about a world with aeroplanes, inventors fell over each other in an effort to make this world a reality. People waited for an invention that, although seemingly impossible and often dismissed as fantasy, they felt was inevitable.
The inventors succeeded, and in the century that has passed their work has indeed transformed the world.
So let me introduce you to the invention I'm waiting for, and I'm sure you are too.
Wireless power transmission.
First I want to clear my home of power cables, but why don't you take some time to imagine what else will be possible.
Its easy to dismiss this idea as impossible, reasoning that anyone who stood between power source and destination would be zapped by all that power, but seemingly not so.
Here are two articles from the BBC, the first[1], from 2006, talks about research into a possible means of transmitting power without wires, the second[2], from earlier this year, demonstrates a working prototype.
Hurry up Witricity the world is a-waiting, and when I get one there'll be an award in it for you.
[1]Physics promises wireless power
[2]Wireless power system shown off
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Comments:
hmmm interesting and potentially very useful, but how do you authenticate use. At present you get access control for free by dint of the physical security (plugs behind locked doors) of your house. If this gets a long enough range to be useful then how does your electricity system stop your neighbour from using it.
Anonymous, you're not as daft as you look, this raises interesting questions.
Perhaps they could modulate the signal somehow.
Or better still it might be the thin end of the wedge that leads us to a world with a new pricing model for power, in the way that the internet has revolutionised the pricing of telephony.
As Professor Farnsworth once said "we're living in the future now"
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