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He seems to be confused between wireless transmission of information and transmission of power. He says he can power a boat from shore, which is ridiculous, but

He seems to be confused between wireless transmission of information and transmission of power. He says he can power a boat from shore, which is ridiculous, but I assume he's only controlling it from shore. Did people understand the difference back then?

grayrest 16y ago
It's not a mistake. That's what Tesla Coils were meant to do. Tesla was a great proponent of wireless power transmission and actually believed it would be possible to transmit enough power to move a ship. The reason it doesn't exist currently is energy loss in the transmission. The wikipedia article has a picture of his device along with a general overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_energy_transfer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_energy_transfer
- drstrangevibes 16y ago
  no, read the article again, Tesla electrical waves get damped when transmitted through the air, but he is talking about transmitting electrical current
- chopsueyar 16y ago
  I thought it didn't exist because JP Morgan said "No way!"
fhars 16y ago
No, he was not. For Marconi, wireless transmission of information was just a byproduct of the far more important wireless transmission of power. In the linked text he is explicitly distinguishing his idea from the mere wireless transmission of information with electric waves which are quickly damped out. Yes, he was completely wrong about that. And ubiquitous wireless communication was a widespread idea at the time, here is an example from 1897: http://www.citizenarcane.com/index.php/archives/2005/03/28/et-phone-home http://www.citizenarcane.com/index.php/archives/2005/03/28/e...
- fhars 16y ago
  Stupid error on my part, that shoud read Tesla, not Marconi.
  - JoeAltmaier 16y ago
    Right, Marconi was a marketer. When asked if he was upset Marconi had "beat" him to wireless communication, Tesla remarked something like "No, because he is using my patents"
- extension 16y ago
  Huh.. so from Tesla's claim that he could efficiently transmit power thousands of miles and that he already had a remotely powered boat, we can assume that he was not so prophetic after all and maybe even fibbing a bit?
  - JoeAltmaier 16y ago
    Yes. This was his ambition, and he was always looking for funding. He never achieved this goal.

grayrest 16y ago

It's not a mistake. That's what Tesla Coils were meant to do. Tesla was a great proponent of wireless power transmission and actually believed it would be possible to transmit enough power to move a ship. The reason it doesn't exist currently is energy loss in the transmission. The wikipedia article has a picture of his device along with a general overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_energy_transfer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_energy_transfer

drstrangevibes 16y ago
no, read the article again, Tesla electrical waves get damped when transmitted through the air, but he is talking about transmitting electrical current
chopsueyar 16y ago
I thought it didn't exist because JP Morgan said "No way!"

fhars 16y ago

No, he was not. For Marconi, wireless transmission of information was just a byproduct of the far more important wireless transmission of power. In the linked text he is explicitly distinguishing his idea from the mere wireless transmission of information with electric waves which are quickly damped out. Yes, he was completely wrong about that. And ubiquitous wireless communication was a widespread idea at the time, here is an example from 1897: http://www.citizenarcane.com/index.php/archives/2005/03/28/et-phone-home http://www.citizenarcane.com/index.php/archives/2005/03/28/e...

fhars 16y ago
Stupid error on my part, that shoud read Tesla, not Marconi.
- JoeAltmaier 16y ago
  Right, Marconi was a marketer. When asked if he was upset Marconi had "beat" him to wireless communication, Tesla remarked something like "No, because he is using my patents"
extension 16y ago
Huh.. so from Tesla's claim that he could efficiently transmit power thousands of miles and that he already had a remotely powered boat, we can assume that he was not so prophetic after all and maybe even fibbing a bit?
- JoeAltmaier 16y ago
  Yes. This was his ambition, and he was always looking for funding. He never achieved this goal.