/technologies/power-management/b/blog/posts/nyit-professor-looks-to-send-wireless-power-at-long-distances-using-lasers-and-balloons(Right) Aerostat depiction. (via US Military)The idea of sending power wirelessly over considerable distances has been around since Nikola Tesla demonstrated that ability using his Tesla Coils back in the late 1880’s and early 1900’s. Since that timeen-USTelligent Community 12https://community.element14.com/technologies/power-management/b/blog/posts/nyit-professor-looks-to-send-wireless-power-at-long-distances-using-lasers-and-balloonsSat, 21 Dec 2013 08:58:35 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:abd6d315-4d0f-44ef-8e77-5ae6ea083975michaelkellett1<p>This sounds to me as if the professor had slightly overdone it with the mulled wine at the end of term Christmas party !</p><p>Obvious problems are:</p><p>Several very lossy power conversions.</p><p>Aiming the laser from one ballon to another.</p><p>Loss of power in air (needs dense atmosphere to float balloons so can&#39;t go very high).</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>etc etc etc.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I really do think that it&#39;s bad form for University engineering departments to put ot these silly press releases without any numbers ot back them up - if there are no numbers (which idealy should come from actual measurements but simulation will do) then it isn&#39;t engineering.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The left hand picture seems to be of some hand held laser pointers and the right hand a stock picture of some military comms/fire control stuff.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Thanks for the reference though, it&#39;s given me the chance to get the rant above off my chest.</p><img src="https://community.element14.com/aggbug?PostID=17055&AppID=4&AppType=Weblog&ContentType=0" width="1" height="1">