Tangle no more!
May 2nd 2007 09:40
I won’t say, wait no longer. In fact, you may have to wait a while yet, but there is a device now invented which will mean you can throw away all those annoying chargers (or put them in a museum for out-of-date technology).
There are already silicon-based power pads on the market, but they’re expensive and relatively specialised. However, a group of seven Japanese researchers have built a plastic sheet that can power all the devices I’ve mentioned above, and more, without the need for wires or plugs. You could power up your computer by putting the sheet on the desk the computer sits on, or by putting it on the wall for a flat-screen television.
The sample sheet, which is about the thickness of a not-so-thick magazine, can deliver up to 40 watts of power. But scaled-up versions of the invention could be used for widespread installation throughout the house. And they would be relatively inexpensive.
At present anything requiring power from it will need a special receiving coil – a bit of a nuisance. However, by the time the sheets are on the market, no doubt the coils will be installed as well.
For fuller details of how this sheet works (which were beyond me, I'm afraid) check out the news@nature.com site.
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