Hasta La Gadget!

Let’s be honest, it’s no big secret that we’re running out of dead dinosaurs to fuel our lives. And with recent natural catastrophes proving atomic energy isn’t what you’d call ‘safe,’ it’s a good thing the researchers down at the RMIT University in Melbourne have been hard at work figuring out how to turn you into a self-sustained energy source. Marrying piezoelectrics with a thin film microchip coating, those scientists Down Under have for the first time identified just how much energy your pressure can generate. This is certainly not the first time the tech has been put to use — Orange UK’s been doing something similar, albeit bulkier, for the Glastonbury fest each year. What are some practical uses, you ask? Imagine a gym powered by a sea of workout-hamsters, each producing significant energy from the soles of their feet. Curious for more? Try a pacemaker that runs solely on blood pressure, or a laptop charged by banging out Facebook updates. Who knows, maybe even RIM can put this to use in its next Storm. Just sayin’.

[Image courtesy Alberto Villarreal]

Thin film coating makes everlasting energy a piezoelectric possibility originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 02:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg  |  RMIT University of Melbourne  | Email this | Comments

The radio waves that saturate the air around us may, or may not, give us headaches and cancer, but we can tell you for certain they’re capable of powering tiny wireless chips. Renesas Electronics Corp has created a new ultra-low power wireless transmitter that can push data to both Bluetooth and WiFi receivers without the need for a battery or AC adapter. Instead of the typical tens of milliwatts, the little transmitters require only a few microwatts of power, which can be harvested from environmental radio waves through LC resonance. The creators envision adhesive sensors that send a baby’s body temperature to laptops and ads that beam coupons to smartphones over short distances — you know, the sort of stuff NFC can do, but without the specialized hardware.

Battery-less transmitters pave the way for wireless baby sensors originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Tech-On  | Email this | Comments

Continue reading GE announces hybrid power plant of the (near) future

GE announces hybrid power plant of the (near) future originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Technology Review  |  GE  | Email this | Comments

Apple threw quite the wireless party by introducing PC Free and iCloud at yesterday’s WWDC keynote, but it seems that the engineers in Cupertino may have even more tricks up their sleeve. Judging by a recently filed patent application, the company’s hoping to add charging to its list of cord-cutting services. Specifically, the patent describes building a NFMR (near-field magnetic resolution) power supply directly into your iMac so it can charge your iPhone, iPad, or even peripherals — such as a keyboard or mouse, when equipped with a special antenna — without the assistance of your ol’ trusty charging cords or batteries. Sporting a somewhat mature iMac that’s operating sans NFMR? Pop a special USB dongle in that bad boy and presto, you’re good to go. The patent points out that the range is limited to one meter, though there may be ways to install repeaters in peripherals to extend that distance further. Of course, patents won’t guarantee we’ll be grabbing the scissors to cut our cords anytime soon, but at least we won’t have to rely on these things for the rest of eternity.

Filed under: Wireless

Apple patent app sheds light on wireless charging dreams, NFMR love affair originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Unwired View  |  WIPO  | Email this | Comments

As seems to be the case each year, one or two stars show up to demonstrate new technology here at the All Things D ‘Science Fair,’ and it just so happens that a pair from the University of Pennsylvania are soaking up the limelight this go ’round. uBeam’s the company, and based on what we saw at D9, we’re guessing that you’ll be hearing an awful lot more from the duo in the coming months. The company’s mission is to provide wireless power — hardly a new concept, but it’s all sorts of refreshing to see what’s often thought of as a pipe dream get an injection of reality. The outfit is literally comprised of two people for the moment, with the prototype shown here concocted just a few weeks ago.

The goal? To get uBeam transmitters installed in as many locales as possible, and then to hit critical mass from a device standpoint. Imagine walking into a restaurant with uBeam transmitters in the ceiling, and watching your handset magically recharge as you await your appetizer. Granted, the outfit’s a long way from that — its first product will be a small charging puck that’ll connect to a bevy of USB devices. That’ll pair with an enterprise or consumer-level transmitter, a device that will ideally be situated in a ceiling. For now, things are strictly line-of-sight, but the shipping system will be able to detect a uBeam puck in the room and charge it if it’s anywhere within a 20 to 30 foot radius. We’re told that the consumer version will be suitable for piping power to just a handful of devices, whereas the enterprise build will be able to juice up an undisclosed amount more. Care to learn more? Head on past the break.

Continue reading uBeam wireless power startup shows prototype at D9 (video hands-on)

uBeam wireless power startup shows prototype at D9 (video hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  uBeam  | Email this | Comments