A new startup wants to transform air, sea, and land vehicles by moving energy through thin air. Visions for long-distance energy transmissions that use no cable are as old as electricity itself. However, no company has managed to master the technology and scale it.

High energy beams are being developed for different applications. They are being tested as military weapons for land combat and satellite warfare as high-energy laser beams. The same principle of moving energy through the air is being explored to develop space-based solar plants that would beam energy toward Earth from high above.

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Electric Sky announced they began building a new wireless long-distance power transmission technology. They call it Whisper Beam and say it will replace all fuel and electric vehicles on land, sea, air, and space, which is one heck of a claim. The small company with a big vision may seem to have too much on its plate but the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) thinks they are on to something. DARPA gave the startup $225,000 to develop a small demonstration test. Electric Sky will use the funds to build a small Whisper Beam network that will power a fleet of drones.

Applications For Wireless Power Transmission

NASA Earth At Night Seen From ISS.
Photo via NASA.

It’s a myth that long-distance power transmission is impossible,” Electric Sky CEO Jeff Greason said in a press release. Greason assures that their method can be scaled and is cost-effective. The Electric Sky patent describes the way in which the system uses beams of electromagnetic radiation to focus energy at great distances. Unlike other energy beams, Whisper Beam starts out weak and gets stronger near the receiver. The system works as a network using antennas and receivers. A receiver can also transmit energy to others in the network, so an electric jet flying on this system could power another aircraft in the air.

When going through an object that is blocking its way, the Whisper Beam can “self-heal.” This allows for vehicles to receive uninterrupted energy even if blocked by weather, objects, or other moving vehicles. Electric Sky questions the limited range of cars, trucks, airplanes, jets, ships, and space vehicles. The company believes that heavy reliance on batteries that take too long to charge and weigh down a vehicle is not the future of mobility, and the same goes for fossil fuels and hydrogen.

Their patent says their system has enough power to launch a rocket into space ferrying heavy payloads. The beam can transfer energy not only in outer space and air but works underwater as well. Electric Sky says it can be used to power entire remote islands or provide energy during a natural disaster. The company, which may have in their hands the wireless power transfer technology of the future, is starting out small, and the DARPA drone test will be a big milestone.

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Source: Electric Sky Patent, Aerospace Tech Review