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There's an article up on Hackaday on a proposed wireless power transmission system by tech company uBeam.
uBeam transmits power via sound, specifically high intensity ultrasound. uBeam has never demonstrated a prototype, has never released any technical specs, and even some high-profile investors that include [Mark Cuban] have not seen the uBeam working.
...
In what is perhaps the greatest breakdown ever posted on the EEVForums, [georgesmith] goes over what uBeam is, how the technology doesn't make sense, and how far you can take a business before engineers start to say, 'put up or shut up.' [georgesmith]'s research goes over just some of what makes uBeam impractical, but digging even further reveals how insane uBeam actually is.
The article is based on a forum posting by georgesmith titled "The uBeam FAQ" on the EEVBlog which is skeptical of the practicality of the approach, and critical of the reaction of the tech press.
Thousands of startups have technical problems. Why uBeam? Why make this FAQ?
Investors have given uBeam over $23 million. But that's not a big problem. It's their money, they can spend it how they want, and they can afford to lose it.
It's likely that uBeam's product will fail, if it ever launches. But that's not a problem either. Plenty of other companies take unlikely chances, and on the whole, we're better off for it. We can't succeed without failures along the way.
The problem is that uBeam's CEO, Meredith Perry, has turned the wireless power industry into a vehicle for her own self-promotion. uBeam, which has never demoed a prototype, lead Forbes to proclaim "Is this woman the next Elon Musk?"
The homepage of uBeam is also available for the curious.
(Score: 5, Informative) by gman003 on Thursday October 22 2015, @05:35PM
Per OSHA regulations [osha.gov] for noise limits, ultrasonics are weighted below the normal level but are still considered dangerous at high volumes, as the subharmonics could be dangerous. A 40-100KHz ultrasound generator cannot exceed 145dB under any situation, and cannot exceed 115dB if it may come into physical contact with a substrate that may come into contact with a human, which would likely apply to any home device.
TFA cites uBeam as operating at "up to 155dB", exceeding all limits for industrial ultrasonic noise. While OSHA does not regular consumer equipment, I think the CPSC may have some things to say about this, should it ever reach market.
(Yes, later on TFA discusses this in more detail, but I did my own research as soon as I saw the decibel figure. RTFA this time, it's actually pretty good)
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday October 22 2015, @06:09PM
Actually the FAQ (second link) is far more enlightening than TFA.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.