2m 57s | 11537 view | 69 rating

NATION | Could widespread wireless transmission of electricity be just a few steps away? Well, the dream of Nikola Tesla to power electrical devices without cords may be one step closer to reality in WiTricity. A company called WiTricity has developed a device called Prodigy. This system involves a transmitter and receiver boxes with LED lights. When the base unit is switched on, it creates a resonating magnetic field that can be picked up by the satellite boxes, and converted into electricity, lighting the bulbs. The signal may be transferred through non-metallic materials. Currently, the system is limited to transmission distances of around one foot. WiTricity has developed a repeater box, which allows for greater distances to be achieved. The company believes similar technology, when scaled up, could power home electronic devices and home lighting. On a still-greater scale, such technology could be used to drive electric cars, without the need to plug them into an outlet. Prodigy itself is not especially useful to homeowners -- you cannot power a blender off of the device. However, the technology shows the potential for a system that could, one day, power homes. Private companies such as Toyota, Delphi and Audi are already licensing the technology. In addition, DARPA, the government research group that laid much of the ground work for the Internet in the 1970's, is also working with the invention. A form of wireless transmission of electrical power is a familiar sight in millions of bathrooms. Electric toothbrushes are often charged through a similar process to that which runs Prodigy. Nikola Tesla was a 19th Century genius who was far ahead of his time. Born in Croatia in 1856, the inventor is best-known for his development of alternating current, which allows the easy transmission of electricity over vast distances. He found himself in a heated rivalry with Thomas Edison over the advantages of AC power over DC current. In 1901, Tesla directed the construction of the Wardenclyffe Tower in Shoreham, Long Island. The structure was designed to provide wireless communications over the Atlantic Ocean. The tower was also meant to test the concept of long-distance transmission of electricity. It never went into full operation, and was torn down in 1917. This is a long way away from the dream of Tesla. His vision would have the upper atmosphere of the Earth, or the planet itself, used as a giant transmission medium. The light bulb, invented by Thomas Edison, may not have been as popular, without Tesla's AC power systems to drive them. The direct current systems favored by Edison could not have easily transmitted electricity far enough to drive the systems. Ironically, the new prodigy technology is currently hampered by distance. It may just be waiting for a 21st Century Tesla to make the distances practical. LIVE: http://NextNewsNetwork.com Facebook: http://Facebook.com/NextNewsNet Twitter: http://Twitter.com/NextNewsNet Sub: http://NNN.is/the_new_media Meet the Next News Team: http://youtu.be/2QnNKwQ2WkY Hashtag: #N3 About: Next News Network's World News program airs daily at 6pm and 11pm Eastern on Comcast, DirecTV and Over-the-Air and Online at http://NNN.is/on- World News is available to 6 million viewers from South Beach to Sebastian, Florida and to 2 million viewers in Boston, Massachusetts via . broadcasts on RF channel 44 (virtual channel 9) from Palm City and is carried on cable TV channels 44 (SD) and 1044 (HD) by AT&T, on cable channels 17 (SD) and 438 (HD) in West Palm Beach by Comcast, on satellite channel 44 (SD) in West Palm Beach by DIRECTV, and on -Boston which broadcasts on RF channel 38 (virtual channel 6) from the Government Center district in downtown Boston. More about : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/