Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Sat, 9 Nov 2019 15:08:15 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

You electrical guys ought to get busy on sending power without wires. I
mean, come on, didn't Tesla talk about that over 100 years ago?

Yep. Telsa talked about it, but never produced anything practical.

What have you been doing?

Well, on the electrical front, we have:
- More efficient batteries (LiIon).
- More efficient lighting (LED).
- Smarter devices (computahs).
- Fly by wire and drive by wire to replace cable driven controls.
- Human strength augmentation (eBikes).
- Bicycle sensor arrays for performance logging and optimization.
- Trainers and rollers with electrically adjustable loads.
- Rear view and "dashboard" type cameras.
- Bicycle doping with hidden motors.
- Credit cards (don't leave home without one).
- Whatever else I forgot.

Wireless power is currently (pun intended) in the realm of science
fiction. Using RF (radio frequencies) to power something is not
practical. Using a laser might be, but would probably be unsuitable
for powering a bicycle:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_propulsion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beam-powered_propulsion

As I've ranted a few times in the past, once you have an onboard
computah and power system on the bicycle, the opportunities to add
electronic gizmos and gadgets are endless. Conversion of the existing
mechanical devices will probably be the first to be electrified.

Let's stage a contest. Mechanicals vs. Electricals. Flying cars vs.
wireless power.

I plead nolo contendere (no contest). You're comparing apples and
oranges, which will likely turn out badly.

(And don't brag about charging a cell phone with a little pad. Even the
Dukes of Hazzard could fly a car way farther than that!)

Inverse square law. Double the distance and you deliver only half the
power. What works in the near field (very close), fails in the far
field (far away). The RF power levels needed to make a cell phone
charger work at a distance is about the same as what it would take to
barbeque the user.

If it’s an inverse square law you’re taking about, when you double the
distance you only deliver one quarter of the power.