Extracting Electrical Power from Air (Using Ambient RF All Around Us)

Freevolt Generates Power from Thin Air

Jamie Rigg | September 30, 2015

What you see above may look like an unremarkable slice of electronics, but it can theoretically power a low-energy device forever, and for free. If that sounds like a big deal, well... that's because it is. Drayson Technologies today announced Freevolt, a system that harvests energy from radio frequency (RF) signals bouncing around in the ether and turns it into usable, "perpetual power." Drayson isn't exactly a household name, but the research and development company has a particular interest in energy, especially where all-electric racing is concerned. And now it's developed the first commercial technology that literally creates electricity out of thin air.

The bulk of this Freevolt unit is the antenna. On the left is a speaker that ticked every time enough RF energy had been harvested to make it move. Source: http://arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/2015/09/freevolt-perpetual-free-rf-energy-harvesting-to-power-the-internet-of-things/

<more at http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/30/freevolt-free-energy/; related links: http://arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/2015/09/freevolt-perpetual-free-rf-energy-harvesting-to-power-the-internet-of-things/ (Freevolt: Perpetual, free RF energy harvesting to power the Internet of Things. Lord Drayson, former UK science minister, unveils his vision for a cleaner, connected world. September 30, 2015) and http://www.slashgear.com/freevolt-uses-ubiquitous-radio-signals-to-charge-iot-devices-01407371/ (Freevolt uses ubiquitous radio signals to charge IoT devices. October 1, 2015)>