120103
story
CSMastermind writes
"CNN is reporting on a breakthrough technology. A startup called Powercast has developed and patented a device, the size of a dime and costing 5$ to make, which allows power to be transmitted wirelessly. The device has already gained FCC approval and the company has inked deals with the likes of Phillips. From the article: 'Powercast says it has signed nondisclosure agreements to develop products with more than 100 companies, including major manufacturers of cell phones, MP3 players, automotive parts, temperature sensors, hearing aids, and medical implants. The last of those alone could be a multibillion-dollar market: Pacemakers, defibrillators, and the like require surgery to replace dead batteries. But with a built-in Powercast receiver, those batteries could last a lifetime. '"
dupe? (Score:5, Insightful)
Although i could be thinking of the "wireless extension cords" on ThinkGeek...
See you Monday (Score:1, Insightful)
Mod me up (Score:1, Insightful)
Dupe (Score:1, Insightful)
OMG Wireless Extension Cords!!!! LOL!!!!" [slashdot.org]
Re:OMG Ponies! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:dupe? (Score:3, Insightful)
It would certainly be idiotic for things like cellphones. However, I could see the technology being incredibly popular for medical implants.
Instead of a $50,000 surgery to replace a battery, you put a little charged coil against your body for a few hours every few months to charge the battery.
Old science, new engineering. (Score:3, Insightful)
I thought this was common knowledge 10 years ago, just not the engineering side.
Energy waster (Score:3, Insightful)
This should not be patented (Score:3, Insightful)
I really wonder how far our world could have advanced in the last 200 years if patents either didn't exist or were structured in such a way that they were much more limited in scope.
Another bad day for us for 17 years.
Cheers