Will we ever become totally wireless?

Intel shows off wireless electricity

I gotta assume that wireless electricity will be found to be bad for carbon based lifeforms. The last thing we need as the global shield to galactic radiation breaks down is more high energy radio wave pollution.

i read somewhere (don't ask me where) that the concept of large-scale transmission of electrical power is an outdated concept .
the article claimed that enough power can be produced "on site" in a variety of ways to serve the needs of small and large buildings , and factories .
a combination of power sources : underground heat , sun power (even when it's cloudy) , better insulation , heat-recycling .. . would at some future date make electrical transmisssion uneconomical and unnecessary .
will i ever see it ? probably not .

i become involved with computers in 1961 . at that time it was claimed that widespread computer use would not be possible because of the enormous power requirements of computers .
our first on-site computer (IBM 1401) required 2 inch cables for inter-connection and massive air-conditioning and humidification equipment .
not even 50 years later , pre-kindergarten kids use computers with more power than that first computer had .

since we've gone from coal-oil lamps to gaslight to electricity in about 150 years , who knows what it will be like in another 150 years .
i might just want to check .
hbg

IBM 1401 computer - we received a truckload of computer punchcards at least once a week to feed the monster .
programs were handcoded and "keypunched" by "keypunch operators" .
each program was single-fed into the computer since it didn't have the storage capacity to store more than 1 (ONE !) program at the time .



keypunch operators at work - they provided 'the muscle" for the operations

[quote="hamburge

IBM 1401 computer - we received a truckload of computer punchcards at least once a week to feed the monster .
programs were handcoded and "keypunched" by "keypunch operators" .
each program was single-fed into the computer since it didn't have the storage capacity to store more than 1 (ONE !) program at the time .



keypunch operators at work - they provided 'the muscle" for the operations


[/quote] And we had to be reminded not to "fold, spindle or mutilate" them.

flyboy wrote :



... and we kept a roll of scotchtape handy , to tape up the odd "mis-punch" rather than making up a new card .
the piece of tape would eventually wander off on its own and gum up the works someshere <GRIN>
hbg

I would agree that the technology will be here one day. The benefit might be that with a wireless scenario, more people could be living on currently empty land in many states. More people in a state equals more federal funds, and more representatives in Congress.

Like many technological innovations of the past, the military got it first, and then it eventually became part of the civilian world.

I would think electricians might then go the way of the blacksmith.

I think most data flow will be come wireless fairly quickly, probably within the next ten to twenty years. Power flow will take much longer, if ever.

I recall reading there was an early attempt to do just that. This may be it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardenclyffe_tower

See the section on wireless transmission

You could probably design an electronic circuit to get its power from the electrical field standing under a high power line but powering a motor found in an household appliance would be more difficult. Do you really want to live your life in a large electrical field?

Another idea I recall is using microwaves to transmit electricity. This was proposed with putting solar power stations in orbit outside the earth's magnetic field to get more sunlight to the solar panels then beaming the power to earth with microwaves.

It would probably have to be tight breams to collectors where it would be sent out on wires. I don't think I would want 1000 watts of microwaves streamed to where I might be standing.

PowerBeam also demos wireless power. Look them up.

It won't ever happen with electrical power as we understand and use it today. Long live the spirit of Tesla!

As to signal transmission, it's already here and has been for some time, however it's very doubtful it will ever the equal in all respects to fiber optic cable.

Solar Powered Satellites are legit, using Geo Synchronous Orbits, however that is not the question at hand per se, and in any case earth bound atomic energy is far more practical as is geothermal.