Running head: Wireless Electricity Is Here

Wireless Electricity Is Here:

Magnetically Coupled Resonance is The Key
Patrick Martin
Bowling Green State University
Tech 3020
November 30, 2016
Dr. Paul Cesarini

Wireless Electricity Is Here

Introduction
What if there was a way to rid our homes of wires? What if there was an electric vehicle
that would start recharging itself as soon as it was parked in a garage, or parking lot? This
amazing technology exists now, but has yet to be applied on a large scale. Resonant magnet
coupling is the technology, and it has allowed for the ability to transfer electrical power
wirelessly. Thus far, there are very few organizations bringing this technology to market, and
none of them are applying it to automobiles. FiskerAutomotiveisagreenAmericanpremium
sportscarcompanywithamissiontocreatearangeofbeautifulenvironmentallyfriendlycars
thatmakeenvironmentalsensewithoutcompromise.Thepotentialexists,withwirelesspower
transfer,tocharge,orpowercarswirelessly. As an agent for Fisker Automotive, I will attempt to
analyze the capabilities of resonant magnetic coupling in regards to the following considerations:
Historical background of the technology, present applications and development, current state of
international technology, positive outcomes, negative consequences, and future applications.
Historical Background
Ever since humans first started to harness the power of electricity in the late 1800s, men
have sought after better ways to manipulate and send this power. When the potential of
electricity was first realized there was no infrastructure to carry it from city to city and building
to building. Furthermore, buildings where not designed with wires in them to conduct electricity.
The lack of infrastructure (wires) spurred a man named Nikola Tesla to work on a solution. In
Margaret Cheneys (2001) book, Tesla, master of lightning, Cheney describes Tesla as the proud
genius who may have been the greatest inventor of any age, not only giving us the electrical
basis of our modern civilization but correctly pointing science to the ionospheric circuit of the
heavens. Tesla, being the genius that he was, in devised a way to send power wirelessly through

Wireless Electricity Is Here

the air. John Patrick Barrett (1894) confirms Teslas wireless power transfer by observing that,
when the current was turned on, the vacuum bulbs or tubes, which had no wires connected to
them, but lay on a table between the suspended plates, or which might be held in the hand in
almost any part of the room, were made luminous. These were the same experiments and the
same apparatus shown by Mr. Tesla in London about two years ago, where they produced so
much wonder and astonishment. Although Tesla was successful at sending power wirelessly, his
design required large amounts of power and was inefficient in transfer. Lacking investors and out
of money, Tesla eventually was forced to abandon his ambitious wireless power project.
Unfortunately, Tesla did not keep very good documentation of his advances in electrical theory
and many of his accomplishments where hidden for years.
Radio communication technology advanced quickly but wireless power transfer
technology moved at an extremely slow pace in the years after Tesla died. One reason why many
abandoned the pursuit of wireless power was that by this time all major cities had implemented
copper wires as the primary infrastructure for carrying electrical current. The need for an
expensive power transfer system was no longer a priority. Research in the 1950s and 60s led to
development of microwave power transfer, including powering a small helicopter with only
microwaves from ground. Again however, it was not consumer solution because it required too
much power, and lacked efficiency.
Then in the 1980s researchers were able to develop power transfer by induction. This is
possible based on the principals of electromagnetic induction, discovered by Michael Faraday in
1831. This is the same principal that allows for the generation of electrical power by a generator.
Electrical transfer by induction is widely used in all power transformers, and electric motors.
Only recently has it been applied to wireless charging stations, or docks, such as power mats for

Wireless Electricity Is Here

cell phones and cameras. This technology is limited to a range of less than a foot. Work on
wireless power has progressed steadily until 2007 when MIT physicist Marin Soljai, developed
and patented, and published a way to transfer power efficiently over several meters. Soljai
startedacompanycalledWiTricity.Hisinventionusestheprincipalsofstronglycoupled
magneticfields.Enduserproductstakingadvantageofthistechnologywhereintroducedatthe
2010ConsumerElectronicsShow(CES).
Presentapplicationsanddevelopment
Currentlythereareseveralagenciesworkingonresonantlycoupledmagneticfieldsfor
powertransferbutonlyoneteam,WiTricity,hascomeupwithahighlyfunctionalprototype.
WiTricityhasbeenworkingwithmanufacturersoftelevisions,cellphones,laptopsandother
electronics,puttingitswirelesspowertechnologyintothesedevices.Inherarticlecoveringthe
2010CES,SharonFisherwrites,HaierAmericaDigitalProductsGroupdemonstratedwhatit
saidwasthefirstcompletelywirelesstelevision:a32inchLCDpoweredwirelesslyfromupto
sixorsevenfeet.WiTricityhasbeenabletowirelesslypowerlightfixtures,televisions,cell
phonesandcomputersthroughtheirresonantmagneticcouplingtechnology.Thecompany
expectsmanymoreelectronicsmanufacturerstostartputtingtheirwirelesspowertechnology
intotheproductstheyproduce.ThebreakthroughthatsetsWiTricityapartfromotherwireless
chargingmanufacturersisresonance.AccordingtoaTechNewsWorldarticlebyKatherine
Noyes,whereasradiationspreadsinalldirections,coupledresonantobjectsallowarelatively
efficientexchangeofenergybetweenthemwhilehavingminimalimpactonotherobjects
nearby.TheWiTricitysystemworksbyputtinganinductorcoilsomewherehiddeninthe
room.Thiscouldbeapictureframe,insidethedrywallitself,orhiddeninfurniture.Whenany

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devicethatisequippedwithaproperlytunedreceivingcoilisinthevicinity,itwillacceptpower
fromtheprimarycoil.Sincethistechnologyassessmentismostlikelygoingtobereadona
computerscreenwithinternetaccess,Ihavedecidedtolinktoavideothatdemonstratesthis
technology.
Currentstateofinternationaltechnology
Resonantlycoupledmagneticfieldsforpowertransferisatechnologythatisstillinthe
developmentstage.Sincethisspecifictechnologyisnotfullymatureyet,wecanonlyspeculate
onhowitmightdiffuseglobally.However,electromagneticinductionforwirelesspowertransfer
isusedinvirtuallyalldevelopedcountries.Thisisthetechnologythatallowsforthewireless
chargingoftoothbrushesindocks,orcellphonesonchargingpads.Asstatedpreviously,itis
wirelesspower,butatonlyverysmalldistances.Thetechnologyhasnotbeenfullyaccepted,
becausetherearenostandardsestablishedforcompatibility.KevinZwangaffirmsthelackof
standardsinhisZDNetarticleentitledWirelesspowerindustryneedsunitedfront.Inthearticle,
Zwang(2010)argues;thetechnologytoenablewirelesspowerovershortdistanceisnow
mature,butmarketplayerswillneedtoworktogethertoensuretheirproductsinteroperate
seamlesslybeforethemassmarketiswillingtoacceptthismodeoftransfer,urgesone
advocate.Sincetheyholdthepatents,WiTricityistheonlycompanyproducingresonantly
coupledwirelesspowersystem.ThisisabigadvantageforbothWiTricity,andtheconsumer.
Rightoutofthebox,allcomponentswillbecompatiblewitheachother.IfWiTricitygets
enoughdifferentmanufacturerstoembedthecoilsintheirgadgets,thenthesystemwillbetruly
universal.

Wireless Electricity Is Here

PositiveOutcomes
Probablythegreatestadvantageofthistechnologyistheabilitytogocompletelyuntethered.
Forsomeyearsnow,ourcellphonesandcomputershavebeenabletocommunicatewithoutthe
needforwires.Attheendofthedayandsometimessoonerweallhavetopluginoursocalled
wirelessdevices.ThisneedtopluginisexactlywhatinspiredSoljai to invent this technology.
Describing what led to the inspiration, in a CNNMoney article Chris Taylor (2009) reveals,
MarinSoljaicouldn'tsleep.Theproblemwashiswife'sNokiacellphone.Thetyrannical
devicebeepedonthebedsidetablewhenitneededtobepluggedin.Itcouldnotbedisabled.
Taylor goes on to explain, Insteadoftakingahammertothephone,Soljaimarveledatthe
factthatthisdevice,andbillionsofotherslikeit,wassittingafewfeetawayfromallthe
electricityitcouldeverneed.Whycouldn'titreceivepowerwirelessly,justaslaptopsgetWi
Fi?Gettingridofallthewiresanddifferentpowersupplieswehave,wouldsavespaceand
keepusmoreorganized.
Ifourhomeswhereequippedwiththisinnovation,ourdependenceonbatterieswould
decreasedramatically.Someitemslikecellphonesandportablemediaplayers,couldgowith
reducedbatterysizeandmanyitems,likeremotecontrols,wirelesskeyboardsandcordless
phonescouldshedbatteriesaltogether.Batteriesareexpensiveandtheydie.Gettingridof
batteriesinasmanyplacesaspossibleisaclearpositive.Thistechnologycouldevenbeusedto
powerdevicesimplantedinthebody,likecochlearimplantsorpacemakers,reducingriskof
infectionatterminationsites.

Wireless Electricity Is Here

Thegreatestbreakthroughswithsomanypositivepropertieswillnevercatchonifthey
aretooexpensive.Thebrillianceofresonantcouplingtechnologyisthatitcanbebuiltwithall
offtheshelfparts.Infact,anyonewithanelectronicsunderstandingcouldreplicatethissystem
tosomeextent,withstandardtoolsandlessthan$100.
Negativeconsequences
Althoughthereareagreatnumberofpositiveattributestoresonantlycoupledwireless
power,therearesomenegativeeffectstoconsider.Safetyisthebiggestconcernwiththis
capability.Therearemanywhoconsidermagneticwavesbeingcontinuouslypumpedintotheair
aroundus,tobeahealthhazard.WiTricityrefutestheseclaimsinthefeaturesandbenefits
sectionoftheirwebsite,statingMagneticfieldsinteractveryweaklywithbiologicalorganisms
peopleandanimalsandarescientificallyregardedtobesafe.Assuringconsumers,
WiTricitygoesontoexplain:
Limitsforhumanexposuretomagneticfieldsaresetbyregulatorybodiessuchasthe
FCC,ICNIRP,andarebasedonbroadscientificandmedicalconsensus.WiTricity
technologyisbeingdevelopedtobefullycompliantwithapplicableregulationsregarding
magneticfieldsandelectromagneticradiation(WiTricity.com,2010).
Theconsensusamongexpertsappearstobethatelectromagneticwavesatthislevelposelittle
threattohumans.Ontheotherhand,onlylongtermstudiesontheseeffectswouldprovidethe
necessaryinsightruleoutallpotentialhealththreats.
Asecondpotentiallynegativehindrancetoconsideristheplacementoftheprimarycoils.
Topowerwholerooms,thecoilswillprobablyneedtoberatherlarge.Manyconsumerswillnot
havetoresourcesordesiretomodifytheirhomes,whichmayincludecuttingopendrywalland

Wireless Electricity Is Here

runningelectricalwiringtoacceptthecoils.Thismayhandicapgrowthofthetechnologyin
earlyyears.
Futureapplications
Shortcomingsaside,thisabilitytotransferpowerwirelesslycouldbedevelopedtowork
withmanyotherindustriesinthefuture.Onewaythatthissystemcouldimpactthemodern
worldthemost,isintegratingitintheautomobileindustry.ConsideringFiskerAutomotiveisan
electricautomobilecompany,itwouldbewisetoinvestigatehowwirelesspowertransfercould
beharnessed.Firstly,themostlogicalapplicationwouldbetoinstallaresonantcoilintoan
electriccarandinstallaprimarycoilintheownersgarage,ordriveway.Thiswouldallowthe
cartostartchargingautomaticallywhentheoccupantparks.Therewouldbenoforgettingto
plugin,orworse,forgettingtounplugthecar.Thisideacouldbeexpandedtoincludeparking
lotsattheworkplace,orevenstreetlightsonthehighwaycouldcontainprimarycoilsthatpower
youcarasyoudrivepast.Ifthisworkedefficiently,electricvehicleswouldfinallybecomethe
norm,sincecurrentbatterytechnologyhasbeenkeepingthesevehiclesoutofmainstreamfor
decades.Citiescoulderectagridofresonantcoilstopowerbussesandgarbagetrucks.
Consumerscouldpayasubscriptiontoreceivethewirelesspower.Sincethistechnology
dependsonknowingtheprimarycoilsverypreciseresonantfrequency,businessescouldrestrict
whoreceivedthepower.
Besidesautomobiles,otherusescouldincludepoweringlightsandothercomponents
insideaircraft,therebyreducingtheweightandimprovingefficiency.MaybeonChristmas
morningsinthefuture,allkidstoyswouldworkimmediatelyrightoutofthebox,withoutthe

Wireless Electricity Is Here

worryofbatteries.Evendesktopcomputerscouldbecomecompletelywireless.Speakersfor
soundsystemscouldbeplacedinpracticallyanylocationwithnowirestorun.
Conclusion
An amazing technology that has barely moved in over 100 years is finally becoming a
reality. Nikola Tesla, if where alive today, would be amazed that it has taken this long to
implement wireless power. In the wireless age we now live in, consumers have been anticipating
a day when they no longer have to plug in their devices and can become truly un-tethered.
Although wireless power has some drawbacks, it is now coming of age, it can be done relatively
inexpensively, and it has so many possible applications that we must consider and plan for its
implementation. The application of wireless power transfer to the automotive industry has been
utterly unexplored. While all the major car companies are waiting for better battery technology,
or working on some sort of hybrid technology, wireless power appears to hold an entirely
unexpected solution.

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10
References
Barrett, J. P. (1894). VII. Electricity at the Columbian Exposition,: Including an account of the
exhibits in the Electricity Building, the power plant in Machinery Hall, the arc ... of the
grounds and buildings ... etc (p. 169). Brookfield: R.R. Donnelley.
Cheney, M. (2001). Preface. Tesla: master of lightning (p. vi). New York, New York: Metrobooks
(Ny).
Fisher, S. (2010, January 6). CES 2010: Haier demos 'completely' wireless HD video. BetaNews,
Jan2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.betanews.com/article/CES-2010Haier-demos-completely-wireless-HD-video/1262820747
Giler, E. (n.d.). Wireless Electricity - WiTricity Showcase TED 2009 (Edit)

. YouTube.

Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgBYQh4zC2Y

Kwang, K. (2010, February 5). Wireless power industry needs united front. ZDNet, ZDNet Asia.
Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.zdnetasia.com/wireless-power-industryneeds-united-front-62061003.htm
Noyes, K. (2007, July 8). MIT Wizards Zap Electricity Through the Air. TechNewsWorld, July07.
Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.technewsworld.com/story/57757.html?
wlc=1271278128
Taylor, C. (2009, November 30). Invisible power . Business, financial, personal finance news CNNMoney.com. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from
http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/24/smallbusiness/next_little_thing_2010.fsb/index3.htm
Thomas, J. (1991). Faraday's scientific contributions. Michael Faraday and The Royal
Institution: The Genius of Man and Place (PBK) (The Genius of Man and Place) (p. 43).
Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.

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11
WiTricity Corp. Features and Benefits of WiTricity Technology . (n.d.). WiTricity Corp. Wireless
Electricity Delivered Over Distance. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from
http://www.witricity.com/pages/benefits.html