How Wireless Energy From Space Could Power Everything | Ali Hajimiri | TED

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: suya f.

Energy and data are the major currencies of our lives today.

能量和数据是我们 当今生活中最主要的货币。

Over the last couple of decades,

在过去的几十年里，

we've seen data going from being wired to becoming wireless.

我们见证了数据从有线走向了无线。

And this has helped democratize access to information.

这也让信息的访问触手可及。

Can we do the same thing with energy?

我们可以让能量也变成这样吗？

Can we send energy when we want,

我们可不可以在想要的时候、

where we want and as much as we want

想要的场合发送想要的能量，

and in the process, eliminate the last wire?

而在此过程中，不需要一根线？

If we could do this, the possibilities would be endless.

如果能达到这个效果， 我们就会有无限可能。

From Earth to space.

从地球到太空。

I'd like to tell you about our dream of wireless energy transfer today.

今天，我想给大家介绍我们 关于无线能量传输的畅想。

It starts with something we are all familiar with -- waves.

从我们耳熟能详的东西说起， 那就是波。

So waves are very essential to our lives.

波对我们的生活至关重要。

You can hear this talk because of acoustic waves.

你能听见这场演讲， 是因为有声波。

You can see this talk

你能看见这场演讲，

because of a certain kind of electromagnetic waves, called light.

是因为某种电磁波，叫做“光”。

And the odds are, if you're watching it on the internet,

很有可能你是在网上 观看这场演讲的，

you're using some sort of wireless connectivity

那你就在使用某种基于 无线和射频波的无线连接方式。

that relies on wireless and RF waves.

If you have two waves that have the same frequency

如果有两个频率相同的波，

and are going up and down

上下振荡，

and they come together at some point in space,

在宇宙中的一处相会了，

they will add and make a wave that's twice the height

那它们就会叠加， 形成两倍波峰的波，

but carries four times the energy.

但携带了四倍能量。

Now, if the same two waves come together at some other place in space,

如果这两个波在宇宙中的 另一处相会了，

but one is running half a period late,

但相差了二分之一周期，

they cancel

那就会相互抵消，

and you get very little energy, practically no energy.

得到极少能量， 准确地说是没有能量。

This is the basis for a process that has been known for a long time.

这就是一个广为人知的现象 背后的原理。

It's called interference.

那就是“干涉”。

The idea here is that if you go and sit at the edge of a pond

你可以想象一下坐在池塘边，

and take both hands and put them in the water

双手伸入水中，

and move them up and down, each hand makes a wave.

上下摆动， 左右手会各产生一个波。

But because of the interaction of these waves,

但由于两个波的相互作用，

there will be some directions where you get more energy

有些方向产生的能量多一些，

and there are some directions that you will get less.

而有些方向产生的能量少一些。

Can we make it go only in one direction?

我们可以让能量 保持在一个方向上吗？

Well, you need more hands.

那你得再来几只手。

And they have to go perfectly synchronized.

而且得完全同步。

But if you do that,

但如果真是这样，

what happens is that most of your energy starts traveling straight down.

结果就是大部分能量 会垂直向下传递。

Now, this is a remarkable thing

这可不得了，

because if you think about each one of those little hands,

因为如果只看每一只小手，

each one of those little sources,

每一个小小的源头，

they would send energy all over the place.

都在向四面八方传递能量。

But when they work together,

但当它们共同作用时，

the result is that the energy is going mostly in one direction.

结果就是能量 基本都在向一个方向传递。

Now, if the timing was the reason for this happening,

如果时机就是 这个现象背后的原因，

maybe we can play with it.

那也许我们可以来试一试。

Maybe we can mess with it and see what happens.

也许我们可以随便玩玩， 看看会发生些什么。

So what if each one of these sources

如果每个能量源都相隔 一小段时间，会怎么样？

goes a little bit after the one next to it?

So in that case,

这样的话，

what happens is that these waves start going in different directions,

波就会朝着不同方向传播，

and you can change that direction

仅凭控制时间就能改变方向。

purely by controlling timing and nothing else.

Now, this makes it possible to change this direction

也就是说，不需要任何机械运动 就能改变方向。

without any mechanical movement.

So it can be almost instantaneous.

因此，效果几乎立竿见影。

You can go even further.

还能再进一步。

You can think about creating a magnifying glass.

想象做了一块放大镜。

A focusing system,

一个聚焦系统，

where you can actually send the energy,

向一个焦点发射能量， 接近 90% 的大部分能量。

most of it, close to 90 percent of it, in one focal point.

But again, since you're controlling the timing,

但同样，由于你会控制时间，

you can create different focal points, and you can send it to them.

你也可以设定不同的焦点， 向它们发送能量。

And this is the basis for wireless energy transfer.

这也就是无线能量传输的原理。

It's as if you have an army of ants

就像一大群蚂蚁

that are working in perfect synchronization.

完全同步地工作。

And each one of them contributes a little bit of energy.

每一只蚂蚁都贡献了一点点能量。

But as a whole, they send it to the right place.

但它们作为一个整体 把能量送去了该去的地方。

Now,

很显然，时机决定一切， 就像人生和喜剧。

obviously here, timing is everything, like life and comedy.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So we’ve taken this concept,

我们利用这个概念，

and we've built these electronic chips, integrated circuits,

制作了电子芯片，集成电路，

that each one of them generates a little bit of power.

每一块芯片产生一点点能量。

But again, as a group, they are designed to work in perfect synchronization

但同样道理，它们作为一个整体 会完全同步地运行，

and drive these little antennas that transmit the energy.

驱动这些发射能量的小天线。

Now this army of ants, or army of antennas,

这群蚂蚁或天线，

is working together to create those focal points of energy.

共同努力创造出了这些能量的焦点。

And what I will show you next

接下来，我要给大家展示

is some examples of how that actually operates.

它们实际运作的例子。

So what you have here, for example,

比如，我们这儿有

is a generator unit that's sending power wirelessly to the two receivers.

一个发电机组， 向两个接收器无线发送能量。

And here the point is to see how well-defined these focal points are.

可以看到这些焦点有多么明确。

That LED panel basically is receiving that power and showing it.

LED 面板接收到了能量， 将其展现了出来。

So you can see energy is going only where it needs to go and nowhere else.

你可以看出，能量只去向了 该去的地方，没有去别的地方。

You can take this and put one of these generators

你可以拿着这些装置， 拿一个发电机组

on the ceiling of your conference room or your living room

放到会议室或客厅的天花板上，

and transmit energy to various devices that need energy.

向各种需要能量的设备传输能量。

Now this generator on the ceiling is going to power a light bulb.

天花板上的发电机能让灯泡亮起。

Now, as we move the light bulb,

如果我们挪走灯泡，

what happens is that you see

你就会看到

that there's no energy in the new location,

新的位置并没有能量，

but the system finds it, tracks it

但这个系统会 找到这个位置，追踪它，

and sends it to the new location.

把能量送去新位置。

And you can see that it dynamically tracks it back and forth.

你会发现这个系统会 动态地四处追踪灯泡的位置。

You can use this to send energy to one light bulb

你可以通过这个功能 向一个灯泡、

or to the next one or to both of them at the same time.

向旁边的灯泡 或同时向两个灯泡传输能量。

Now you can use something like this, for example, to power a drone.

举个例子， 你可以借此为无人机供电。

This is a battery-less drone

这是一台无电池的无人机，

that's being purely powered by that generator

完全由这种发电机供电，

facing up from the bottom.

从下面向上传输能量。

And it can also use the same tracking approach to track the drone.

发电机也可以通过 同样的追踪方式追踪无人机。

So now that we know that we can send energy wirelessly,

我们已经知道了 可以无线传输能量，

the question is, how far can we go?

问题是，我们能做成什么样呢？

Really, how far can we go?

我说真的，我们能做成什么样呢？

Could we put photovoltaics in space,

我们能不能把光伏带进太空，

solar panels in space,

把太阳能板带进太空，

and collect the energy and send that wirelessly to Earth?

收集能量，再无线发送回地球呢？

This is not a new idea.

这不是什么新想法。

The first time it was mentioned,

它第一次出现在

it was in a short science-fiction story by Isaac Asimov from 1941.

艾萨克·阿西莫夫（Isaac Asimov） 1941 年的科幻短篇中。

And what I love about this story is that

我喜欢这个故事的点在于

it's about a self-conscious robot.

它讲的是一个有自我意识的机器人。

And the humans describing this idea to the self-conscious robot,

人类将这个无线传输的想法说给 有自我意识的机器人听，

after which the robot says,

然后机器人说：

"Do you expect me to believe such a far-fetched, crazy notion?

“你以为我会信你的春秋大梦吗？

What do you take me for?"

你把我当什么了？”

The first question almost always asked is that,

人们想问的第一个问题总是这个：

“Why do you want to put your solar panels in space?

“你为啥要在太空中 弄个太阳能板呢？

Why don’t you put them up in the desert and be done with it?” Right?

为什么不能放在沙漠里 就完事儿了？”对吧？

A few reasons.

有几个原因。

First is that in space you get about eight times more energy

首先，在太空中， 你能多获取八倍的能量，

because you don't have day and night,

因为没有昼夜，

you don't have clouds, you don't have seasons,

没有云层，没有季节，

and you don't have the atmospheric absorption.

没有大气吸收。

Also, now that you have this ability to send energy where you want

有了向想要的位置、 在想要的时候

and when you want dynamically,

动态地发送能量的能力，

you can imagine that you have dispatchable power.

可以想象成能量任你调度。

On top of that,

除此之外，

it's an always-available power.

还是随时可用的能量。

This can be used for a place, for example,

可以用于某个地点，举个例子，

let's say an island hit by a hurricane

岛屿遭到海啸侵袭后断电。

where there’s no power.

Or a city in war zone

或者战时城市，

where the power infrastructure is being constantly attacked.

电力设施持续受损。

You can think about using this to send power

可以想象利用这个系统

向撒哈拉以南非洲地区的 偏远村庄输送电力，

to a remote village in sub-Saharan Africa

where there is no infrastructure for power transmission.

而那里还没有电力传输设施。

And that way democratize the access to energy.

这就把能量送到了每个人的手中。

Or send it somewhere above the Arctic circle.

也可以把能量送去 北极圈以北的地方。

So all of these things are great.

这些都是好事。

But the question is,

但问题是，

if it has been known for such a long time and it's such a great thing,

如果一直以来我们都知道这是件好事，

why hasn't it been done so far?

为什么还没人去做呢？

The main reason is that the way it has been envisioned before,

主要的原因是以前想象的样子

they've been thinking about it as a big elephant.

一直是个庞然大物。

If you're thinking about putting big solar panels in space,

在太空中放置巨大的太阳能板，

collecting the power, generating a lot of energy,

收集能量，又制造大量的能量，

and then putting it into a massive parabolic dish antenna

再输入巨型的弧形卫星锅，

and sending it to a fixed location on Earth.

传输到地球上某个位置上。

Sending things to space is expensive.

在太空中传输是很贵的。

You pay dollars -- and that's plural -- per gram.

你得付钱，大笔的钱， 还是按“克”计算的。

The other problem is that even if you could afford it,

还有一个问题是 就算你负担得起，

assembly of something like this in space

在太空中组装这种东西

is still beyond the capabilities that we have today.

已经超出了我们现有的能力。

So we came up with a very different approach

于是，我们想出了 一个别出心裁的方法，

where we took our generators

我们把发电机

and turned them into flexible, fabric-like structures.

做成有韧性的、 类似织物的结构。

We are utilizing the amazing power of electronics,

我们利用了电子学、

integrated electronics and flexible electronics,

集成电子学、 柔性电子学的惊人能力，

to make this very lightweight, flexible, fabric-like structures

做出了这种可以卷起来、收起来的

that you can roll and pack.

超轻型、有弹性、类似织物的结构。

And this allows you to have these satellites packed for launch

你可以在发射的时候 把这些卫星收起来，

and deployed in space,

在太空中再打开部署，

where each one of these units

其中每一个组件

would be about several tens of meters on the side.

边长可达数十米。

And then you can pack a whole bunch of them

也可以打包好几个，

and create a constellation of them

排成一组，

that flies in space

在太空中漂浮，

and forms your power station to send green energy to Earth.

组成能量站， 将绿色能量发回地球。

This will be flying in formation around the Earth.

它们会成组环绕地球飞行。

Obviously, this is not the size of the planet

显然，图上的尺寸与地球不符，

because we're talking about a kilometer across for the whole whole constellation

因为整组发电机的长度为 1 公里，

and the planet is a little bit larger than a kilometer.

但地球在图中只略长于 1 公里。

We've been developing, as a proof of concept,

我们一直在开发概念验证（PoC）

technology demonstrator,

和技术原型，

and this is called Maple,

这个系统叫做 Maple，

which demonstrates the power of flexible structures

展示了柔性结构和电子电路

and electronic circuitry

to generate and transmit power in space.

在太空中产生、传输能量的能力。

We integrated that with two other technology demonstrators

我们将其与另外两个

for deployable structures and photovoltaics

展示可展结构和 光伏的技术原型相结合，

that were developed by three teams,

由三个团队打造，

led by myself and two of my colleagues.

由我本人和另外两位同事领导。

And we integrated into a satellite that was launched recently.

我们也将其应用在了 最近发射的一颗卫星中。

And the purpose of this experiment

这个实验的目的是

has been to demonstrate the power transfer,

证明太空中的能量传输， 无线能量传输。

wireless power transfer in space.

Now that brings me back to the promise of wireless energy transfer

这就谈到了无线能量传输的前景，

and what it could mean for us.

它对我们来说又代表着什么。

I believe this technology is too compelling to go away.

我相信这项技术太强大了， 它是不会转瞬即逝的。

And I believe it's bound to appear in our lives in one form or another.

我相信它注定会以某种形式 出现在我们的生活中。

And that is something to look forward to.

值得我们期待。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）