[Ham-Computers] Intel's wireless power project

[Hsu, Aaron (NBC Universal)]

Hi all,

Not necessarily HAM related, but the concept looks antenna related...

I was at this past January's CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and
wireless battery charging and wireless lighting products using inductive
fields were some of the more "exciting" products.  However, the power
levels are low and the range is short (6 to 8 inches max).  Check out
what Intel is working on here:

http://www.gearlog.com/2009/02/video_intels_wireless_power_co.php

It's only a lightbulb, but they originally intended to power a PC.  If
you look out the window of the video, you can spot a "huge" version of
the coil powering the lightbulb.

It looks like a 2-element coil array - a directed step-up transformer?
What looks like the "active" element is a single loop about 12 inches in
diameter.  What looks like a "director" is about 30 (?) inches in
diameter (OD) - the outer 4 (or so) inches of the "director" is a coil
of about 6 loops of copper - the rest of the "inner" part of the
"director" is empty.  The receiving coil is a coil of about 8 loops of
copper about 12 inches OD.  It's about 18-inches away from the
"director" and they say the effective range is about 3 feet.  The bulb
is pretty well lit - looks like a stanard 40 or 60 watt incandescent
bulb.  Still years away probably - I'm sure one hang-up will be health
concerns.

Pretty neat stuff.  Posted for your amusement.

73,

  - Aaron, NN6O