We live in an era of such technological advancements that our lifestyle could be considered nothing but magical. Today we have vehicles that can reach supersonic speed or are in contact with our near and dear ones from any corner of the world.
However, one thing that remains constant in all of this technological advancement is the underlying factor of electrical power. Without the contribution of electricity, none of these magical happenings would have occurred at all.
Nicola Tesla: Father of Modern Electricity
We are more or less all aware of the journey of electricity from a chemical reaction in a voltaic cell to the modern day’s large turbine generators. In this journey, there are many notable names worth mentioning to whom the current generation must be indebted. However, the name that probably outshines them all is Nicola Tesla.
The contribution of this great scientist in the world of electricity generation is the use of Alternating current for electric supply.
Tesla’s inventions (listed or otherwise) have been helping humanity in one way or another. Some of his inventions and their relevant experiments have been the foundations of many modern-day gadgets. However, in this modern era, one can argue that his greatest contribution might not be the Alternating current but the concept of wireless transmission of electrical energy.
Transmitting Electricity without Wires: A Possibility
We all are aware of the fact that electricity in the modern-day is a business commodity used for mass consumption. Terms like retailing electricity, business electricity rates, or power transmission have become general knowledge for the adult population all around the globe.
However, electricity without wires is still something we are yet to be familiar with. Tesla built a device known as ‘The Tesla Coil’ by which wireless lighting could be achieved using the concept of electrostatic induction.
Tesla’s vision was simple. He wanted the blessing of this electric power to be available to all, irrespective of being privileged or not. However, during those times, building an infrastructure to ensure this mammoth task was practically impossible.
Added to this were the possible conspiracies of the existing electrical companies who wanted a monopoly of wired electrical supply to fuel their profit-making businesses without considering the greater good.
Coming back to our recent times, this concept of wireless power transmission has been taken up much seriously, and much effort & time have been invested in making Tesla’s vision come true. The prime example of this is the wireless charging of high-end smartphones, where the phones’ batteries get charged by simply putting them on an induction pad.
The functionality behind this is that when the phone is placed on the pad, a magnetic field is created, thus current being induced in a coil within the phone, thereby charging it.
Using this technique, not only smartphones but also many other devices can charge like an electric toothbrush, a car, or even lighting a lamp and many more. While these are the stepping-stones for using the concept of transmitting electricity wirelessly, the actual triumph would occur when power grids would cease to exist, making free electricity available for all.