Wireless charging has just made a huge new leap, thanks to researchers who have demonstrated that existing Wi-Fi infrastructure can be used to power devices remotely, including battery-free technology or rechargeable lithium-ion, coin-cell batteries, at a range of up 28 feet or more.

Shyam Gollakota worked with a group of University of Washington researchers on PoWiFi, their latest breakthrough demonstration using ambient backscatter radio signals to power devices. The trick to consistent energy: getting existing routers to send out RF signals that are then converted into DC power and voltage-adjusted for the use case.

Their paper on Powering the Next Billion Devices with Wi-Fi expands on the implications of their work and the near-future potential for global wireless power, the key being: usage of existing infrastructure to save time and costs.

From the team at the U of W: “More recently researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of powering sensors and devices in the far field using RF signals from TV [46, 36] and cellular [55, 44] base stations. This is exciting, because in addition to enabling power delivery at farther distances, RF signals can be used to simultaneously charge multiple devices due to their broadcast nature.”

More on their work: “Ambient Backscatter transforms existing wireless signals into both a source of power and a communication medium. It enables two battery-free devices to communicate by backscattering existing wireless signals. Backscatter communication is orders of magnitude more power-efficient than traditional radio communication. Further, since it leverages the ambient RF signals that are already around us, it does not require a dedicated power infrastructure as in RFID.”

The post Wi-Fi Energy: Tesla’s Wireless Dream Now Powerful Reality first appeared on Gajitz.

When autonomous cars begin to overtake driver-controlled cars, what will we do with all that free commute time that we used to spend watching the road? Think tank Rinspeed developed a futuristic concept car that they think will define the future of auto-pilot vehicles.

Called the ExchangE, the car was modified from a Tesla Model S sedan and fitted with the type of special amenities that you might expect to see in an airplane today. Once you put the car on autopilot, the steering wheel pulls away so you can sit back and pull out a desk for working or watching movies on your laptop.

There are two small screens in front of the driver’s and passenger’s seats, along with a larger screen that spans the length of the dashboard. This large screen conveys information about the journey like gas levels and time remaining until the car reaches its destination.

Twenty different seating configurations – including a flat position that lets you catch a bit more sleep before arriving at work – allow both driver and passenger(s) the freedom to move around. The gesture-controlled entertainment system in the rear of the car features a 32″ wide screen for on-demand movies and TV.

A built-in wireless 4G system will keep drivers aware of construction or dangerous conditions ahead. Luxurious textiles for the floors and seats would make for a fantastically comfortable ride. We don’t expect to see driverless cars become the norm for quite some time, but when they do, we really hope they’re as comfortable and high-tech as this one.

The post Luxe Driverless Car: First-Class Travel on the Ground first appeared on Gajitz.

When Nikola Tesla experimented with his radio broadcast gadgets, he was weirded out by the bizarre sounds he picked up from atmospheric electromagnetic fields. He is reported to have said of the experience: “My first observations positively terrified me as there was present in them something mysterious, not to say supernatural, and I was alone in my laboratory at night” (from a 1901 article). The spooky sounds emanating from Tesla’s radio sound like the mournful wails of lost spirits, which is why this Instructable showing how to make your very own Tesla Spirit Radio is so handy for Halloween. Slap a few inexpensive bits together and spook your friends with the scary sounds of the world around us.

According to Instructables submitter mrfixits, this Spirit Radio will cost you less than $30 to make at home. Using computer software like Audio Hyjack Pro gives you even more control over the creepy sounds emanating from your homemade gadget and even let you record them. The video above gives tons of examples of the scary noises you can capture coming from this simple crystal radio circuit in a jam jar.

The post Calling All Spirits: DIY Spooky Spirit Radio for Under $30 first appeared on Gajitz.