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I am by no means overlooking the work that has gone into determining the feasibility. Sorry if my comment came across that way. My point was really two-fold. Th
by jeffmould 10y ago
I am by no means overlooking the work that has gone into determining the feasibility. Sorry if my comment came across that way. My point was really two-fold. The idea itself should not get discredited simply because of the method they are using. If you take the idea, wireless power at a distance, and separate that from the method, via ultrasound, the idea is game-changing.
The question then becomes how do you go about doing it. Ultrasound is apprently one option (I am by no means a scientist or have vast knowledge of this area). It is obvious, based on the research conducted to date, that ultrasound as a long-term solution is not viable, both from a technology and health perspective. So what is? Just because ultrasound is not going to work, does that mean the idea itself should be thrown out? Maybe, maybe not. But if we threw out every idea simply because existing technology was incapable of implementing said idea, we would be rolling around in Fred Flintstone cars.
If VCs want to gamble on developing the technology by throwing money at it, that is their choice. The real issue is that at some point, the VCs need to stand up and say enough already with the ultrasound theory. Instead they should be guiding the company more towards exploring the idea itself and finding viable solutions. More importantly they need to rein in the CEO, and hyperbole marketing claims she makes, to take the focus from wireless power via ultrasound to just the idea of wireless power. That is my second point, that people seem to be looking at this solely from the claims the CEO has made, and not from the idea itself.
Suster's defense of the company was a case of right idea, wrong words. He, in my opinion, through his choice of wording, made the situation worse. While essentially bashing Reynolds in one sentence, he completely lends credit to Reynolds statements. He acknowledges that Reynolds expressed doubts regarding the marketing and public statements.
The problem I see with this whole issue is that everyone, from the company executives and VCs to the media, is hyper-focused on the method (ultrasound), that they have lost focus on the idea (wireless power at a distance).
- gundar 10y agoBut is a VC backed startup in stealth mode really going to make these leaps in basic research for wireless power transmission? And does the current leadership team really have to background to lead a basic research team? VC backed startups can be great for commercializing existing technology. I can believe that a 20 year old drop out could take some overlooked published research and make a product out of it. But to have a 20 year old drop out with no engineering background try and develop near physics deifying ultrasound technology, produce nothing and then pivot to some other TBD type of wireless power distribution? Great idea to have a blood testing device in every pharmacy that can run 200 tests with a single drop of blood. But ideas with no feasible execution plan are a dime a dozen.
- simoncion 10y ago> If you take the idea, wireless power at a distance, and separate that from the method, via ultrasound, the idea is game-changing. Uh. It is my understanding that free-space [0] wireless power transmission is a rather old tech. [1] You just pretty much never see it because if you want to move substantial amounts of power with a relatively small antenna, you have to keep living things a significant distance away from the transmission area, lest they cross between the Tx and Rx sides and get seriously harmed. [0] That is, things like microwave or laser power transmission through the atmosphere rather than things like inductive charging mats and transmission rings. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power_transfer#Far-field_radiative_techniques https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power_transfer#Far-fi... (Notice the mention of the microwave-powered RC helicopter in 1964.)