In the early twentieth century, Nikola Tesla envisioned a world where electricity would be transmitted wirelessly between generators and the objects that use the energy. His idea was that this could occur through the air through some unseen mechanism, and he spent most of his life working towards this dream. Of course, that isn’t how things worked out in reality. What happened instead was physical cords and traditional plugs with true wireless technology never really emerging at a mass scale.
What’s already happening today?
Interestingly though Tesla’s vision is starting to become a reality on a small scale. Companies are investing in short-range inductive charging, which is now mainstream. This includes wireless charging pads for phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and other small devices. Even some kitchen tools now have these systems, which means that home owners don’t have to plug them in all the time to get them to work. They can simply place them back in their bay and use wireless technology to charge them up.
True over-the-air wireless power, which transmits energy over several meters, is still relatively rare but it is becoming a possibility in commercial settings. For example, Wi Charge is a company that uses infrared and light-based beaming to deliver power to sensors and digital signage. These devices are quite small but they work highly effectively and have been demoed at trade shows throughout the last 12 months. Other companies are using radio frequency as a wireless power source for Internet of Things devices. These technologies allow sensors and batteries to be location-independent and not plugged into specific circuits.
Broader adoption
Various advances are now pointing to the idea that long-range power beaming could be adopted more broadly. Tesla’s original idea was that power would be transferred in a similar way to how lightning works, and there would be sudden static discharges of energy. However, given the delicate nature of modern electronics, this no longer seems feasible. What’s more likely is that microwaves and lasers will be used. These are other forms of electromagnetic radiation which are relatively easy to convert back into electrical currents.
The US secret military technology agency DARPA has already demonstrated long-range power beaming of hundreds of watts over several kilometers. This technology it hopes will be used to power combat vehicles, robots and drones in future wars. The technology is fundamentally being developed by the government because of its innate usefulness. While it has military applications right now, it is likely that it will see civilian applications in the near future. However, the government isn’t the only entity that is investing in the broader adoption of wireless technology. Other startups like Willow are also doing the same for homeowners. They’re demonstrating wireless charging demos for consumer devices that promise to make properties and dwellings cable-free in the future.
A particularly hot area is the topic of kitchen appliances. Many people have too many of these in their kitchens, and wires can clutter up countertops. Finding a way to power these remotely using microwaves or other forms of electromagnetic radiation could be a great way to make minimalist living more practical.
The market projections for this trend are looking good right now. According to official data, the global wireless transmission market is worth around $5-17 billion per day. However, it is going to double over the next 6 years to more than $37 billion because of the rise in demand for smart homes, electric vehicles, and Internet of Things technologies. Consumer electronics is going to drive the development of the underlying technology so that it can move out of military applications and into homes.
This sort of technology would be useful for a battery lawn mower and other appliances that use up large amounts of electricity during operation. These devices tend to run down quickly, but if there was a way to supply them with energy remotely, owners could keep using them all day.
What a switch to a fully cordless home requires
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Homes were obviously fully cordless in the distant past, but they didn’t have any of the modern conveniences that we enjoy today. That’s essentially why we put up with all of these cords. We want to be able to power our large appliances like our fridges, ovens, and washers. We also need wiring for climate control and even basic lighting.
Unfortunately, there are some significant hurdles to fully cordless homes of the future. The main problem is efficiency. Transmitting electrons through copper wires is very efficient compared to beaming power over distances. The problem with beaming energy is that it loses its potency as it travels. Some forms of energy can become more diffuse, making them less useful. There is also the cost of installing transmitters all over a property in the walls and ceilings. These would need to be high-powered and focused in the right direction.
Then there is the power scale. Most wireless transmission technology is in the milliwatt to the tens of watts. It’s about the same amount of power that you would need to light a conventional LED, but of course this power scale is too small for most modern homes. A lot of families use kilowatts of power, not just a few watts here and there. Clearly regulators are going to be looking into this as well once the technology starts to take off. They’ll need to know that it’s keeping people safe.
Realistic timeline
What can we expect to happen on this front in the future over the next three to seven years? It’s likely that homes will become more cordless for low and medium power devices. This means that things like laptops and cordless kitchen appliances will no longer need wires to keep them running. After the 2030s, it could be possible to embed transmitters across homes, but the technology would have to improve. Also, high-powered beaming would need to be proven safe before mass consumer adoption.
Right now, we’re sort of in an early stage with this technology. Wireless cops have been proven, but it’s a case of rolling them out commercially.
