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I’ve already exposed these WiFi energy harvesters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8s3Xjeg0sk
You mean like a Crystal Radio?
@dave – are you saying the LED powering in the video above is fake?
This is how some of the more “inteligent” RFID cards like MiFare function, they get there power through this. It’s not particualry new technology, it’s just a different idea of what you can do with it, a GSM tower takes a large amount of power and converts it into radio waves which it spreads everywhere, but because it’s spread everywhere, you can’t, collect much of it with a small antenna, especially at distance, plus it means you are going to be loosing power and this will simply further the “ZOMG Radio Waves give us cancer” claims.
However it would be awesome if there a way to power small devices such as my phone from such sources.
@nikinator we thought it would be fun to power small environmental sensors hung from cell towers in nyc…
The RCA product’s numbers didn’t seem to make sense to me either… but this one’s numbers do. They are only claiming a very small amount of power available – not enough to charge a cell phone or anything like that; just enough to power something very tiny, like a ATTiny or MSP430 or something, when operating in “burst” mode (i.e, asleep most of the time, only wakes up when it’s got enough power stored up in it’s cap).
This is, also, how RFIDs work, so…
@britt, yah, we’ve never seen the “RCA product” just this video posted above.
There is so little energy ‘drifting’ around. The individuals developing this crap are probably doing it for some investor who doesn’t have any understanding of the concept. MAYBE for RFID systems I could see a use.
@dave
you couldn’t have described it better when you said, “I smell… “sniff sniff sniff”… ***********
Now remember the attention that the RCA battery received? This company isn’t going to actually produce this device, they’re just getting their name out.
Am I the only one who finds the name “rectenna” slightly funny?
@moser – did you watch the video posted here? what specifically do they state that is not accurate? please explain it here?
this is not a RCA product.
and lastly, this is a funny product name 🙂
David Jones and Moser do you both realize this company has nothing to do with RCA? Prove the Rectenna makes false claims otherwise avoid false comparisons !
I’d bet that a calculator solar panel (1cm X 3cm scientific) can output more power in an indoor environment
I’m just saying that this idea isnt practical even when there are 100% efficiency conversions from RF to DC for charging a capacitor or battery, and assuming the capacitor and battery have no internal discharge.
As i said earlier “MAYBE for RFID systems I could see a use” Very low power devices that charge a capacitor and occasionally broadcast temperature.
Moser the video linked from Adafruit makes no claims that are not accurate. You did not watch it. This is not RCA company.
Read the captions
“SO WE THINK THAT BY THAT PEOPLE COULD POWER SENSORS OR TAG DEVICES” – Nihon Dengyo Kosaku