Wireless Power 2.0: What Will It Take to Get There and When Will It Happen?
Dr. Alex Lidow
CEO and Co-founder, Efficient Power Conversion, USA
Abstract: There are hundreds of millions of people who have experienced the first generation of wireless power transfer technology based on inductive coupling and the Qi format. The promise of convenience has only partially been realized as the limitations of precise positioning and slow charging speeds have become more acute as fast charging of cell phones has become more important to the consumer. Magnetic resonance has long promised to overcome the limitations of Qi with its ability to (a) safely transfer much higher power, (b) enable spatial freedom stemming from large surfaces that can produce uniform magnetic fields, and (c) the ability to have one transmitter couple to a multitude of receivers. In this talk we will discuss the technological, financial, and emotional barriers that need to be broached before widespread consumer adoption of this next generation wireless power technology will gain traction.
Speaker's Bio: Alex Lidow is CEO and co-founder of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC). Since 1977 Dr. Lidow has been dedicated to making power conversion more efficient upon the belief that this will reduce the harm to our environment and increase the global standard of living. He served as CEO of International Rectifier for 12 years prior to founding EPC in 2007. Dr. Lidow holds many patents in power semiconductor technology, including basic patents in power MOSFETs as well as in GaN transistors and integrated circuits. He has authored numerous peer reviewed publications on related subjects, and co-authored the first textbook on GaN transistors, “GaN Transistors for Efficient Power Conversion”, now in its third edition published by John Wiley and Sons. Dr. Lidow earned his Bachelor of Science from Caltech in 1975, and his PhD from Stanford in 1977.
Safety of RF Wireless Power Transfer Technology
Prof. James C. Lin
Professor Emeritus, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
Abstract: Wireless power transfer (WPT) systems are being deployed to provide needed electric power either directly or via battery-charging services using a very wide spectrum. The optimism on WPT technology is clearly driven by the ubiquity of cell phones, laptops, and other mobile communication devices. Aside from not having to plug in the mobile phone or laptop, an fascinating cause for the interest in battery charging through WPT comes from the potential for mobile communication devices to get their electrical power the same way they get their data through harvesting ambient electromagnetic radiation. The dream is a truly wireless mobility scenario with completely tether-free electric power supply for mobile phones, laptops, electric appliances, and various transportation systems. Beyond wireless communication uses, the level of transmitted electromagnetic power required for large-scale or commercial implementation of WPT would be substantial. A key facet of the system design and research effort should include consideration of biological effects and human safety, especially in the RF region of the electromagnetic spectrum. This talk will feature my perspectives on RF safety of WPT technologies.
Speaker's Bio: James C. Lin is a Fellow of AAAS, AIMBE and URSI, and a Life Fellow of IEEE. He held a NSC Research Chair from 1993 to 1997 and served as an IEEE-EMBS distinguished lecturer. He is a recipient of the d’Arsonval Medal from the Bioelectromagnetics Society, IEEE EMC Transactions Prize Paper Award, IEEE COMAR Recognition Award, and CAPAMA Outstanding Leadership and Service Awards. He was a member of U.S. President’s Committee for National Medal of Science (1992 and 1993). Professor Lin has served in leadership positions of several scientific and professional organizations including President of the Bioelectromagnetics Society, Chairman of the International Scientific Radio Union (URSI) Commission on Electromagnetics in Biology and Medicine, Co-Chair of URSI Inter-Commission Working Group on Solar Power Satellite, Chairman of the IEEE Committee on Man and Radiation, Vice President US National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), and member of International Commission on Nonionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). He has authored or edited 14 books, authored 380+ book chapters and articles in journals and magazines, and made 290+ conference presentations. He has chaired several international conferences including IEEE, BEMS and ICST (founding chairman of Wireless Mobile Communication and Healthcare - MobiHealth). He is Editor-in-Chief of the Bioelectromagnetics journal and has served as guest editor and member of the editorial boards of several journals. Dr. Lin received his BS, MS and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle. He currently is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where he has served as Head of the Bioengineering Department, Director of the Robotics and Automation Laboratory, and Director of Special Projects in Engineering.
Wireless Power and Power Beaming
Dr. Paul Jaffe
Spacecraft Engineering Department / Space Electronics Systems Development, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), USA
Abstract: Language and nomenclature affect the way we think. In recent years, the taxonomy of wireless power has grown to include technologies and modalities across a wide range. Whether it refers to short-range energy transmission between systems without connectors or long-range delivery of energy over distances far exceeding a meter, there is value in defining the different classifications of wireless power transmission. In this keynote, Dr. Jaffe will give a summary overview of different approaches to one such classification scheme, in which power beaming will be distinguished as a clear subset of wireless power transmission. He will review recent progress for microwave, millimeter-wave, and optical power beaming, and discuss near-term plans and next steps. The discussion will be framed by the contexts of emerging applications and of longer-term visions of future possibilities.
Speaker's Bio: Paul Jaffe is an electronics engineer and researcher with over 25 years of experience at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). He has led or held major roles on dozens of space missions and on breakthrough technology development projects for civilian, defense, and intelligence community sponsors, including SSULI, STEREO, TacSat-1, TacSat-4, ORS, MIS, PRAM, CARINA, RSGS, PTROL, S2FOBs, and LEctenna. He was responsible for electrical system and spacecraft computer hardware development. He served as coordinator and editor of two solar power satellite study reports and was the principal investigator for a ground-breaking space solar research effort. His current roles include program management and systems engineering of a portfolio of projects. He serves as a lecturer for the Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Maryland. He has over 50 journal, conference, and patent publications and is the recipient of numerous awards. Dr. Jaffe has made many international speaking and media appearances, including as a TEDx speaker, on MSNBC, and the Science Channel’s “Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman.” He is also active in educational and STEM outreach. Dr. Jaffe received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University, graduating with honors. He earned a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.
'To get a Grip on the Earth and Shake it:’ Nikola Tesla’s Scheme for Wireless Power Transmission
Prof. W. Bernard Carlson
Vaughan Professor of Humanities, Department of Engineering and Society, University of Virginia, USA
Abstract: Along with developing a practical AC motor, Nikola Tesla [1856-1943] contributed to electrical engineering by working for fifteen years on a scheme to transmit power wirelessly around the world. Inspired by the experiments of Heinrich Hertz and spurred on by a rivalry with Guglielmo Marconi, Tesla built two broadcasting stations, first in Colorado Springs [1899-1900] and then at Wardenclyffe on Long Island [1901-1905]. At these locations, Tesla pumped energy into the earth’s crust in order to set up a stationary electromagnetic wave at the earth’s resonant frequency. Tesla believed that people would tap into this wave for power and messages by simply grounding a receiver that “would be no bigger than a pocket watch.” In this talk, I will outline the evolution of Tesla’s thinking about wireless power in the 1890s and 1900s as well as his unsuccessful efforts to launch a business around this technology with funding from J.P. Morgan and others. Overall, I will suggest that Tesla was motivated to provide messages and power to millions of people and hence was among the first to recognize that the Information Revolution of the twentieth century would be about empowering individual users.
Speaker's Bio: Bernie Carlson is the Joseph L. Vaughan Professor of Humanities and Chair of the Department of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia and a lecturer in the TechInnovate program at the National University of Ireland Galway. He has written widely on invention and innovation as well as on the role of technology in the rise and fall of civilizations. His books include Innovation as a Social Process: Elihu Thomson and the Rise of General Electric, 1870-1900 (Cambridge University Press, 1991) and Technology in World History, 7 volumes (Oxford University Press, 2005). His most recent book, Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age. (Princeton University Press, 2013) has been translated into nine languages. In addition to his books, Bernie has filmed 36 lectures on "Understanding the Inventions that Changed the World" for The Great Courses. He is a regular contributor to Forbes.com, writing on innovation and the modern economy. Bernie has been the recipient of the IEEE History Fellowship and winner of both the SHOT-IEEE History Prize and the Middleton Award in Electrical History. With the IEEE, he has served on the advisory board of Spectrum and chaired the History Committee. Bernie studied history and physics as an undergraduate at Holy Cross College, earned his Ph.D. in the history and sociology of science at the University of Pennsylvania, and did his postdoctoral work at the Harvard Business School.
