Ever since electricity was created visionaries have always wanted a way of transporting or using electricity without wires. In a recent article in the magazine Popular Science the magazine explains technically how this can be done. It is a great article but what they don't really dive into is the social ramifications of this. In other words, how will not having to plug electrical items in affect people for generations?
I know there would be two societies growing up. There will be one always looking for an outlet to plug their electronics into and their children that sets up the device to run without wires. I admit I will be part of the generation comfortable with using electricity from an outlet and its ease of use. Bringing home your electrical device, placing it in a room, and pressing a button for it to work will mystify me. How would our children or their children look back at the outlet? Probably the way we look at fireplaces as a main heating system. It is an antiquated system of heating do to the gas furnace and central air of use today. They will scratch their heads and go, "They actually had to plug a wire into an outlet? They did that?"
Even now the technology is being rolled out to connect wirelessly a printer, mouse, keyboard and I am sure the screen too to receive or send data. Soon you will have a device that is wire free. It will send, receive data and be powered wirelessly. It would be the perfect solution for the person who has always had cable hell. Cable hell is when you have too many wires tangled up and you don't know which one goes to what. I spent a half hour once just trying to connect a DVD player to the TV because of so many loose wires from other TV related equipment. I couldn't figure out which cable I needed to do the job. I spent that half hour checked each wire until I figured out which one needed to be plugged in.
So this is what to expect in the not so distant future. Imagine a world where you open up your new computer. You set the monitor on the table, put the tower to the side, unload the mouse and keyboard and press a button that starts up the entire computer. All the gadgets power up, send and receive data wirelessly.
It is coming. Also new ideas on power distribution come into play with wireless electricity. Imagine riding on the train, and the train not only uses the electrical power to move and illuminate the train car but also gives out power free for hand held devices like iPods and laptops.
You could have an entire city powered by electrical power that is beamed wirelessly. Think of all the space saved. No more telephone poles with electrical wires being pulled down in freak weather storms or do to human negligence. Instead you have a big coil by the power plant that sends out the electricity. Maybe even relaying equipment to make sure there is coverage for the entire city. This makes the power grid of the United States more reliable and requires no additional power lines strung up. Also, an eminent domain seizure to build the huge transmission towers on is no longer needed.
I am all for wireless technology. I think it will make enjoying your home stereo, computer, even hanging a fixture easier to turn on and power because it will all be done wirelessly. So to the old generation I say get over the electric outlet and to the new one I say you have a bright future.
