|
Tesla-Inspired Metamaterial Converts 900 MHz Microwaves to Power
But wait, you say, didn't Tesla transmit wireless power over miles, not feet? Indeed, but here recent technology is breaking through barriers installed by years of disappointments. This new research is showing that power transfer via microwaves and radio waves is not only possible -- but can be extremely efficient if properly tuned. Duke University Electrical Engineering Professor Steven A. Cummer and his students Alexander ("Alex") Katko (a Ph.D. candidate) and Allen Hawkes (an undergraduate) have published a new paper in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Physics Letters detailing a device that can harvest power from microwave signals. Mr. Katko comments: Its possible to use this design for a lot of different frequencies and types of energy, including vibration and sound energy harvesting. Until now, a lot of work with metamaterials has been theoretical. We are showing that with a little work, these materials can be useful for consumer applications. The properties of metamaterials allow for design flexibility not possible with ordinary devices like antennas. When traditional antennas are close to each other in space they talk to each other and interfere with each others operation. The design process used to create our metamaterial array takes these effects into account, allowing the cells to work together. Posted by: Au Auric 2013-11-18 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=379836 |