Not only is this active speaker wireless, it is solar powered as well!
This speaker derives it's power from 7x AA rechargeable batteries that can be charged by two separate sources, either the DC mains plug pack or via it's inbuilt solar panel mounted on top. The speakers are contained in a robust, weatherproof housing making it ideal for outdoor entertainment. The 900Mhz frequency will allow the speaker to be mounted up to 50 Metres away from the transmitter, through walls and floors with crystal clear sound. So versatile, this unit can be used in conjunction with portable MP3 or CD players, DVDs, TVs, VCD, PCs or any other audio device. Unit supplied with transmitter, receiver, power supplies, rechargeable batteries, connect cables and remote control.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers said Thursday they have developed a wireless energy transfer technology that could ensure wireless devices are always charged up and ready to go. The team at MIT, one of the top US academic "laboratories" for new inventions, has road tested the fledgling technology and shown that it can power a 60 watt bulb from a power source two meters away.
That's more than enough juice to supply an average laptop, said Marin Soljacic, a professor of physics at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who has been working on this project for several years.
The concept behind the technology is simple and based on the idea that two resonant objects on the same resonance frequency can exchange energy efficiently.
For this experiment, the MIT team used electromagnetic resonators in the form of copper coils, which oscillated at a certain frequency, trading energy within a given electromagnetic field. One of the coils was attached to a power source. The other acted as a receiver.
The researchers, having proved that the technology dubbed "WiTricity" does work, plan to refine it to make it more efficient, although the range over which wireless power can be delivered probably won't extend beyond a room or a factory floor.
However, they are confident they can enhance the system and make it reliable enough so that consumers can dispense with power cords and even batteries for their laptops, PDAs, Blackberries or cellphones if they are being used in the same room as the power source.
"This is a major milestone," said Soljacic, commenting on the experiment, the details of which appear in the journal Science. "The technology is almost at the point where it could be used for a practical application."
The combination cell phone, media player and wireless Web-surfing device will retail for $499 and $599, depending on configuration. It will be offered exclusively in the U.S. by AT&T Inc.'s wireless division, formerly known as Cingular.
