Early visions of wireless power actually were thought of by Nikola Tesla basically about 100 years ago. The thought that you wouldn't want to transfer electric power wirelessly, no one ever thought of that. They thought, "Who would use it if you didn't?" And so, in fact, he actually set about doing a variety of things. Built the Tesla coil. This tower was built on Long Island back at the beginning of the 1900s. And the idea was, it was supposed to be able to transfer power anywhere on Earth. We'll never know if this stuff worked. Actually, I think the Federal Bureau of Investigation took it down for security purposes, sometime in the early 1900s.
Primele viziuni despre energia fara fir au fost gandite de Nikola Tesla acum aproximativ 100 de ani. Gandul ca ca n-ati dori sa transferati energie electrica fara a folosi fire nimeni nu s-a gandit la asta. S-au gandit, "Cine o va folosi daca voi nu?" Si astfel, de fapt, s-a pus sa faca o multime de lucruri. A construit clopotul Tesla. Acest turn a fost construit in Long Island la inceputul anilor 1900. Iar ideea era, ca aceasta se presupunea a fi capabila sa transfere curent oriunde in lume. Nu vom sti daca aceasta treaba a functionat. De fapt cred ca FBI-ul la daramat din motive de securitate, undeva la inceputul anilor 1900.
But the one thing that did come out of electricity is that we love this stuff so much. I mean, think about how much we love this. If you just walk outside, there are trillions of dollars that have been invested in infrastructure around the world, putting up wires to get power from where it's created to where it's used. The other thing is, we love batteries. And for those of us that have an environmental element to us, there is something like 40 billion disposable batteries built every year for power that, generally speaking, is used within a few inches or a few feet of where there is very inexpensive power.
Dar un lucru care a rezultat din electricitate este ca iubim treaba asta foarte mult. Ganditi-va cat de mult ne place ideea asta. Daca va plimbati undeva pe-afara, veti vedea ca s-au investit trilioane de dolari in infrastructura in intreaga lume, in fire, pentru a duce electricitatea din locul unde este creata acolo unde este folosita. O alta chestiune este ca ne plac bateriile. Si pentru cei dintre noi care sunt atinsi de microbul ecologiei se produc aproximativ 40 de miliarde de baterii in fiecare an. Pentru o energie care, vorbind in general, provine din cativa inchi sau cateva picioare este o energie foarte ieftina.
So, before I got here, I thought, "You know, I am from North America. We do have a little bit of a reputation in the United States." So I thought I'd better look it up first. So definition number six is the North American definition of the word "suck." Wires suck, they really do. Think about it. Whether that's you in that picture or something under your desk. The other thing is, batteries suck too. And they really, really do. Do you ever wonder what happens to this stuff? 40 billion of these things built. This is what happens. They fall apart, they disintegrate, and they end up here.
Asa ca inainte de a veni aici, m-am gandit, "Sunt din America de Nord. Avem o reputatie proasta in Statele Unite" Asa ca ar fi mai bine sa analizez situatia de aici in primul rand. Definitia numarul sase este definitia Nord Americana a cuvantului "a absorbi". Firele absorb si ne exaspereaza, intradevar. Ganditi-va numai. Chiar daca sunteti voi in poza aceea sau ceva sub birou. Alta chestiune este ca si bateriile ne exaspereaza. Si ele intradevar o fac. V-ati intrebat vreodata ce se intampla cu ele? Cu cele 40 de miliarde produse? Asta se intampla. Ele se descarca, se desintegreaza, si in final ajung aici.
So when you talk about expensive power, the cost per kilowatt-hour to supply battery power to something is on the order of two to three hundred pounds. Think about that. The most expensive grid power in the world is thousandths of that. So fortunately, one of the other definitions of "suck" that was in there, it does create a vacuum. And nature really does abhor a vacuum.
Deci atunci cand vorbiti de energie scumpa costul pe kilowatul ora pentru a alimenta cu baterii ceva este de ordinul a una doua sute de kilograme. Ganditi-va la asta. Cea mai scumpa retea energetica din lume sunt mii de asemenea lucruri. Din fericire, una din celelalte definitii a cuvantului a absorbi care se gaseste aici, este ceva ce creeaza un vid. Si natura intradevar uraste vidul.
What happened back a few years ago was a group of theoretical physicists at MIT actually came up with this concept of transferring power over distance. Basically they were able to light a 60 watt light bulb at a distance of about two meters. It got about 50 percent of the efficiency -- by the way, that's still a couple thousand times more efficient than a battery would be, to do the same thing. But were able to light that, and do it very successfully. This was actually the experiment. So you can see the coils were somewhat larger. The light bulb was a fairly simple task, from their standpoint.
Ce s-a intampla acum cativa ani a fost ca un grup de fizicieni teoretici ai MIT au venit cu acest concept de transferare a energiei la distanta. Ei au reusit sa aprinda un bec de 60 de wati la o distanta de aproximativ 2 metri. Le-a luat, aproximativ 50 de procente din eficienta. Apropo, acest lucru este de mii de ori mai eficient decat ar putea sa faca acelasi lucru, o baterie. Dar am fost capabili sa aprindem becul, si am facut-o cu foarte mare succes. A fost un experiment. Puteti vedea ca bobinele au fost intrucatva mari. Becul a fost o sarcina usoara din punctul lor de vedere.
This all came from a professor waking up at night to the third night in a row that his wife's cellphone was beeping because it was running out of battery power. And he was thinking, "With all the electricity that's out there in the walls, why couldn't some of that just come into the phone so I could get some sleep?" And he actually came up with this concept of resonant energy transfer. But inside a standard transformer are two coils of wire. And those two coils of wire are really, really close to each other, and actually do transfer power magnetically and wirelessly, only over a very short distance.
Toate astea au pornit de la un profesor care se trezea noaptea, trei nopti la rand pentru ca celularul sotiei beep-aia pentru ca nu mai avea baterie. Si el s-a gandit: "Cu toata energia care se gaseste in peretii casei de ce nu am putea face ca o parte din ea sa intre in telefon ca sa pot si eu dormi linistit?" Si a realizat acest concept al transferului rezonant al energiei. Dar inauntrul unui transformator sunt doua spirale de fire. Iar aceste spirale din fire sunt foarte foarte aproape una de alta, si realizeaza transferul de energie -- magnetic si fara fire, doar pe o distanta scurta.
What Dr. Soljacic figured out how to do was separate the coils in a transformer to a greater distance than the size of those transformers using this technology, which is not dissimilar from the way an opera singer shatters a glass on the other side of the room. It's a resonant phenomenon for which he actually received a MacArthur Fellowship Award, which is nicknamed the Genius Award, last September, for his discovery.
Ce si-a imaginat Dr. Soljacic a fost separarea spirelor dintr-un transformator la o distanta mai mare decat marimea acelor transformatoare utilizand aceasta tehnologie, care nu este deosebita fata de modul in care un cantaret de opera zdruncina un pahar in cealalta parte a camerei. Este un fenomen rezonant pentru care a primit Distinctia MacArthur Fellowship, care este poreclita Distinctia Geniului in Septembrie anul trecut.
So how does it work? Imagine a coil. For those of you that are engineers, there's a capacitor attached to it too. And if you can cause that coil to resonate, what will happen is it will pulse at alternating current frequencies -- at a fairly high frequency, by the way. And if you can bring another device close enough to the source, that will only work at exactly that frequency, you can actually get them to do what's called strongly couple, and transfer magnetic energy between them. And then what you do is, you start out with electricity, turn it into magnetic field, take that magnetic field, turn it back into electricity, and then you can use it.
Cum functioneaza? Imaginati-va o spira. Pentu cei care sunt ingineri, exista un condensator atasat la el. Si pentru ca puteti face o spira sa rezoneze, ce se va intampla este ca ea va pulsa, la alternarea frecventelor, la o mult mai inalta frecventa, printre altele. Si daca puteti aduce un alt dispozitiv suficient de aproape de sursa, acesta va functiona exact la aceeasi frecventa, le veti putea face sa lucreze precum un cuplu, si sa transfere energie magnetica intre ele. Si atunci ceea ce faceti este, incepeti cu electricitatea, o transformati in camp magnetic, luati campul magnetic, si il trasnformati inapoi in electricitate. Si apoi puteti s-o folositi.
Number one question I get asked. I mean, people are worried about cellphones being safe. You know. What about safety? The first thing is this is not a "radiative" technology. It doesn't radiate. There aren't electric fields here. It's a magnetic field. It stays within either what we call the source, or within the device. And actually, the magnetic fields we're using are basically about the same as the Earth's magnetic field. We live in a magnetic field.
Intrebarea numarul unu a fost pusa. Oamenii sunt ingrijorati ca telefoanele celulare sa fie sigure. Stiti. Ce se poate spune despre siguranta? Primul lucru este ca nu este o tehnologie radiativa. Nu radiaza. Nu exista camp electic aici. Este un camp magnetic. Sta inauntrul a ceea ce noi numim sursa, sau a dispozitivului. Campul magnetic care este folosit este similar campului magnetic al Pamantului. Noi traim intr-un camp magnetic.
And the other thing that's pretty cool about the technology is that it only transfers energy to things that work at exactly the same frequency. And it's virtually impossible in nature to make that happen. Then finally we have governmental bodies everywhere that will regulate everything we do. They've pretty much set field exposure limits, which all of the things in the stuff I'll show you today sort of sit underneath those guidelines.
Iar alt lucru interesant despre aceasta tehnologie este ca transfera energie doar lucrurilor care lucreaza la exact aceeasi frecventa. si este imposibil in natura, ca asa ceva sa se intample. Si avem organisme guvernamentale peste tot care vor reglementa orice am face noi. Si deja acestea au impus limite la expunerea in camp pe care toate lucrurile pe care vi le voi arata eu azi sunt stabilite in asa numite linii directoare.
Mobile electronics. Home electronics. Those cords under your desk, I bet everybody here has something that looks like that or those batteries. There are industrial applications. And then finally, electric vehicles. These electric cars are beautiful. But who is going to want to plug them in? Imagine driving into your garage -- we've built a system to do this -- you drive into your garage, and the car charges itself, because there is a mat on the floor that's plugged into the wall. And it actually causes your car to charge safely and efficiently. Then there's all kinds of other applications. Implanted medical devices, where people don't have to die of infections anymore if you can seal the thing up. Credit cards, robot vacuum cleaners.
Electronicele mobile. Electronicele pentru acasa. Aceste cabluri de sub birouri, pun pariu ca toata lumea de-aici are ceva care sa arate asa, sau aceste baterii. Acestea sunt aplicatii industriale. Si in final, vehiculele electrice. Aceste masini electrice sunt minunate. Dar cine va dori sa le bage in priza? Imaginati-va ca intrati in garajul dvs -- noi am construit deja un sistem care face asta -- intrati in garaj cu masina, iar masina se reincarca singura. Asat din cauza ca exista un pres pe podea care este bagat in priza din perete. Si asta este cauza datorita careia masina dvs se incarca eficient si in siguranta. Si sunt tot felul de alte aplicatii. Dispozitive medicale implantate. Acolo unde oamenii nu trebuie sa mai moara din cauza unor infectii daca ai putea sigila tot. Carduri de credit, roboti pentru curatenie.
So what I'd like to do is take a couple minutes and show you, actually, how it works. And what I'm going to do is to show you pretty much what's here. You've got a coil. That coil is connected to an R.F. amplifier that creates a high-frequency oscillating magnetic field. We put one on the back of the television set. By the way, I do make it look a little bit easier than it is. There's lots of electronics and secret sauce and all kinds of intellectual property that go into it. But then what's going to happen is, it will create a field. It will cause one to get created on the other side.
Ceea ce asa vrea sa fac este in cateva minute sa va arat, cum intradevar, functioneaza. Si ceea ce am sa fac este sa va arat ce avem aici. Avem o bobina. Aceasta bobina este conectata intr-un amplificator R.F. care creeaza un camp maganetic oscilant de inalta frecventa. Punem unul in spatele televizorului. Apropo, fac sa arate totul mai simplu decat este in realitate. Exista multe electronice si sosul secret si tot felul de proprietati intelectuale care intra in ea. Dar ceea ce se va intampla este ca voi crea un camp, care va fi cauza ca sa se formeza inca unul in partea cealalta.
And if the demo gods are willing, in about 10 seconds or so we should see it. The 10 seconds actually are because we -- I don't know if any of you have ever thought about plugging a T.V. in when you use just a cord. Generally, you have to go over and hit the button. So I thought we put a little computer in it that has to wake up to tell it to do that. So, I'll plug that in. It creates a magnetic field here. It causes one to be created out here. And as I said, in sort of about 10 seconds we should start to see ...
Si daca vor vrea zeii demostratiilor, in aproximativ 10 secunde il vom vedea. Cele 10 secunde sunt din cauza ca noi -- Nu stiu daca unul dintre voi sa gandit la a conecta un TV cand folositi doar un cablu. In general trebuie sa mai apasati pe un buton. Asa ca m-am gandit am pus un mic computer in el care va trebui sa-l porneasca care va trebui sa-l porneasca si sa-i spuna sa faca asta. Asa ca-l voi conecta. Creeaza un camp magnetic aici. El creaza inca unul aici. Si, asa cum am spus, in aproximativ 10 secunde vom incepe sa vedem...
This is a commercially -- (Applause) available color television set. Imagine, you get one of these things. You want to hang them on the wall. How many people want to hang them on the wall? Think about it. You don't want those ugly cords coming down. Imagine if you can get rid of it.
Aceasta este o reclama -- (aplauze) o reclama disponibila pe televizoarele color. Imaginati-va, ca v-ati luat un astfel de televizor si vreti sa-l atarnati pe perete. Cati dintre voi ar vrea sa-l agete pe zid? Ganditi-va. Nu vreti ca aceste cabluri urate sa atarne in jos. Imaginati-va ce-ar fi sa scapati de ele.
The other thing I wanted to talk about was safety. So, there is nothing going on. I'm okay. And I'll do it again, just for safety's sake. Almost immediately, though, people ask, "How small can you make this? Can you make this small enough?" Because remember Dr. Soljacic's original idea was his wife's cellphone beeping.
Alt lucru de care vreau sa va vorbesc este siguranta. Asa ca, nu s-a intamplat nimic, sunt ok. Si voi face asta din nou, doar pentru va arata ca intradevar e sigur. Aproape imediat, oamenii intreaba, "Cat de mic putem face aceste lucruri? Le puteti face suficient de mici? Pentru ca reamintiti-va ideea originala a Dr. Soljacic a fost bipăitul celularului sotiei sale.
So, I wanted to show you something. We're an equal opportunity designer of this sort of thing. This a Google G1. You know, it's the latest thing that's come out. It runs the Android operating system. I think I heard somebody talk about that before. It's odd. It has a battery. It also has coiled electronics that WiTricity has put into the back of it. And if I can get the camera -- okay, great -- you'll see, as I get sort of close... you're looking at a cellphone powered completely wirelessly. (Applause)
Asa ca doresc sa va arat ceva. Suntem proiectanti in mod egali pentru tot felul de lucruri. Acesta este un Google G1. Stiti, este ultimul lucru care va aparea pe piata. Foloseste un sistem de operare Android. Cred ca am auzit pe cineva vorbind despre asta mai inainte. Este ciudat. Are baterie. Are de asemenea electronice spiralate. pe care WiTricity i le-a pus in spate. Si daca as putea primi, o camera de luat vederi, ok, grozav, veti vedea, daca ati filma mai de-aproape va uitati la un celular alimentat complet fara fir. (Aplauze)
And I know some of you are Apple aficionados. So, you know they don't make it easy at Apple to get inside their phones. So we put a little sleeve on the back, but we should be able to get this guy to wake up too. And those of you that have an iPhone recognize the green center. (Applause)
Stiu ca unii sunteti fani Apple. Stiti ca cei de la Apple nu te lasa prea usor sa intri in interiorul telefoanelor lor. Asa ca noi i-am pus o manecuta pe spate. Dar trebuie sa fim capabili sa pornim si telefonul asta. Si cei ce aveti un Iphone recunoasteti centrul verde. (Aplauze)
And Nokia as well. You'll see that what we did there is put a little thing in the back, to do that, and it probably beeps, actually, as it goes on as well. But they typically use it to light up the screen. So, imagine these things could go ... they could go in your ceiling. They could go in the floor. They could go, actually, underneath your desktop. So that when you walk in or you come in from home, if you carry a purse, it works in your purse. You never have to worry about plugging these things in again. And think of what that would do for you.
De asemenea si Nokia. Veti vedea ca ceea ce am facut, este ca am pus ceva pe spatele, sa faca asta, si probabil bipăie, dar merge. Dar in mod obisnuit ei il folosesc sa lumineze ecranul. Imaginati-va ca aceste lucruri pot fi, pot fi in tavanul vostru. Pot fi in podea. Pot fi sub biroul vostru. Asa ca, atunci cand vii sau pleci de-acasa, daca cari o punga, functioneaza si in punga. Nu trebuie sa va faceti griji ca ar trebui sa le bagati in priza, niciodata Si ganditi-va ce ar putea face asta pentru voi.
So I think in closing, sort of in the immortal visions of The New Yorker magazine, I thought I'd put up one more slide. And for those of you who can't read it, it says, "It does appear to be some kind of wireless technology." So, thank you very much. (Applause)
Cred in incheiere, intr-un mod precum visiunile nemuritoare ale The New York Magazine, cred ca am pus inca un slide. Iar pentru cei care nu pot citi, se spune aici, "Pare ca ar fi un fel de tehnologie fara fir" Multumesc foarte mult. (Aplauze)