Science 5 min read

Nanocrystal Electricity: The Future of Wireless Electricity Technology

Daniel Kite / Shutterstock.com

Daniel Kite / Shutterstock.com

Imagine a future where we depend on wireless electricity to power all our devices. Sounds like a pipe dream, right?

Well, not anymore. And it’s all thanks to a new concept called Nanocrystal Electricity.

Wireless electricity transmission is the technology that provides a source of power to electronic devices or appliances, without requiring cables.

That means you can use electronic devices at any time or any place. Also, you can charge your phone, tablet, or laptop without carrying a charger.

Yes, it sounds a little like science fiction. However, most engineers have considered the possibility of wireless electricity at one point in their lives. That’s right: the concept is not entirely new.

English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Stephen Hawking famously said:

If radio waves (think of network signals or Wi-Fi) can travel through the air without the use of cables, then why can’t electricity?

Wireless Electricity Technology: How It Began

In the 1860s, Scottish Scientist, James Clerk Maxwell explained the concept of wireless electricity using an equation. In so doing, he established a theory that unified electricity and magnetism into electromagnetism.

At the time, he predicted the existence of electromagnetism, and how it would be the wireless carrier of electromagnetic energy.

Almost three decades later, Nikola Tesla conducted a series of experiment, which led to the invention of short-range wireless power systems. Other research led to the development of RFID, microwaves, and lasers.

Perhaps the most significant contribution, as far as wireless electricity technology is concerned, came with Nanocrystals.

A Nanocrystal is a crystalline particle that has at least one dimension smaller than 100 nanometers.

While these material particles have a variety of proven potential applications across different fields, the most exciting is nanocrystal electricity.

What is Nanocrystal Electricity

Nanocrystal electricity means radiating power through Nanocrystals. Simply put, it involves using the silicon-based electricity generating nanocrystals to amplify a frequency that could power a device.

Although studies on Nanocrystal electricity as wireless electricity is still in the early stages, researchers have established that it’s cheaper. But there’s more.

Aside from providing contactless electric power to power devices, electricity from Nanocrystals is cleaner and comes with an efficiency of almost 65 percent.

How does it work, you wonder?

How Nanocrystal Electricity Works

Traditional electricity requires a source – such as a battery or a generator – to draw power, and a conductor to get the charge to its destination.

The Nanocrystals, on the other hand, can generate signals at a precise voltage and frequency. Taking the roles of the old wires, the particle materials serve as a circuit to transmit radio waves wirelessly through a phenomenon known as the piezoelectric effect.

Your electronic devices, with their in-built receiver, can pick up the radio waves from the nanocrystals and convert it into electricity. That way, you don’t need a chord or a power outlet.

How far do you have to be from the power source for the nanocrystal to power your device?

Radiowaves are the longest waves on the electromagnetic spectrum. That means, your device will theoretically always have access to power as long as the receiver within 15 – 30 feet of the transmitter.

But, that’s just at the beginning. As the technology enjoys more adoption, you’ll be able to harvest the radio waves from any public venue – whether it’s the airport, restaurants, hotels, or shopping malls.

In the end, NanoCrystal electricity could extend across the globe.

Implications of the Technology

The first thing wireless electricity offers is the possibility of having a universal power supply. No more power outlets, and no need for chargers.

In the future, you’ll be able to power your electric stove right from your car and cook whatever you want on the go. Speaking of vehicles, we can kiss combustion engines good-bye.

Since cars would depend on the wireless technology to remain on the road, they’ll never have to stop for gas. Still, the vehicles will never run out of power.

In the health sector, medical professionals wouldn’t need large bedside machines to monitor patients’ vitals.

Wireless electricity technology could inspire a new generation of wearable techs. This would enable patients to enjoy the freedom to enjoy evening strolls, without losing sight of the data being collected.

Finally, wireless electricity technology could lead to a significant reduction in fire outbreaks.

The U.S. Fire Administration states that electrical fires accounted for 6.3 percent (24,000) of all residential fires in 2014. Also, at least one person died in 11 percent of the fires and someone was injured in 7 percent.

With nanocrystal electricity, we’ll no longer have to worry about how that power outlet could cause a fire outbreak.

But, it’s not all rosy – not yet.

Nanocrystal Electricity: The Challenges

NanoCrystal electricity is still at an early stage. As such, more research and development is necessary for the technology to become mainstream.

Also, for wireless electricity to become universal, tech manufacturers must tweak their device to include a transmitter as well as a receiver. That way, it can accept and use power from the frequency which resonates from the nanocrystal.

To Wrap Up

The future of wireless electricity technology is just around the corner. We already have working prototypes of the technology from the early experimentalists. According to Engadget, two years ago, the FCC approved the WattUp Mid Field transmitter – the world’s first wireless electricity transmitter.

Although we’re still years away from a retail-ready device, the tech is generating more interest now more than ever. So, dump your chargers, and lose those cables.

The future of electricity is bright, clean, and cheap. Most importantly, it is wireless.

Read More: Breakthrough: New Device Turns WiFi Signals Into Electricity

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Sumbo Bello

Sumbo Bello is a creative writer who enjoys creating data-driven content for news sites. In his spare time, he plays basketball and listens to Coldplay.

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    Wayne Brown June 21 at 5:11 pm GMT

    I wish you had someone to come demonstrate this interesting device in my home

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