New technology could untether cardiac patients as mechanical heart pumps join the next generation of wireless technology. Researchers envision new technology that could mean a future where patients with implanted heart pumps could install transmission coils in their homes and workplaces to create zones where the device would receive uninterrupted power.
Joshua Smith, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering at the University of Washington, devised an inductive system that adjusts the frequency and other parameters as the distance or orientation between the transmitter and receiver coils changes, allowing for flexible yet efficient wireless power over medium distances.
“Most people’s intuition about wireless power is that as the receiver gets further away, you get less power,” says Smith, “But with this technique there’s a regime where the efficiency actually doesn’t change with distance.”Full story at Futurity.