Audacious Plan to Make Electricity as Easy as WiFi

>When I first met Meredith Perry she was 24. That was three months ago this week.

Well isn't that just the oddest way to start an article.

am sure she is great etc.

this comment is a bit OT.

i wish i could see more founders who are ugly and short (either male or female), in the good books of VCs and SV, gives more faith in the ecosystem.

> Was it safe? Well … for starters it is just an inaudible soundwave being transferred – as in the kind also used for women during pregnancy. It also happens to be how your car likely tells the distance to objects when you park or if you have a side assist whether you can change lanes safely. Check.

Both of those Examples involve short exposure. That doesn't necessarily mean long exposure is OK. You would not, I hope, conclude for instance that an X-Ray based system is safe because dentists X-Ray people as part of an annual check up.

I expect it to turn out safe, but I'd want to see some studies first.

Also, I'd like to see studies on what affect it has on pets. Will it also be inaudible to dogs? If not, that needs to be documented so that dog owners won't unknowing torture their pets.

The back story of this company is intriguing. The founders presented a prototype way back in 2011 at the D9 conference[1], and apparently weren't able to get any traction until they found a believer in Scott Nolan at Founders Fund[2]. Interestingly, Nolan seemed most impressed by the company's distribution plans:

> Mr. Nolan said Ms. Perry had shown that chain stores and some “quick-service restaurants” were eager to integrate a wireless charger into their plans. She “had addressed all these key risks and got them nailed down early,” he said.

To me, it's not surprising that folks would be excited by the concept of wireless charging, just as you could easily find plenty of people who would tell you they'd buy a Back to the Future-style hover board if you could actually build it.

The big question is whether the technology is real and commercially viable. One physicist who has worked on wireless charging applications says he reviewed uBeam's patent applications and ran the numbers. His conclusion: it isn't[3].

Who is correct?

[1] http://allthingsd.com/20110618/how-to-charge-your-iphone-ove...

[2] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/technology/an-inventor-wan...

[3] http://lookatmeimdanny.tumblr.com/post/101432017159/how-putt...