Witricity

Do you hate wires lying all around in your room? Here is a solution to say good bye to the power cords and it is called Witricity, power transfer without a wire, and Techfest 2009 throws a challenge to you to do exactly the same and win prizes worth INR 50,000. The challenge is on, and you could change the way next generation transfers the power.

1. Problem Statement

The Challenge is to transfer electricity, without wires and through a non radiating field.

Prizes worth INR 50,000 to be won.

View the Competition Details »

Registration for Witricity has started. Click here to register.

To view the discussions on this competition, Click here

For further queries contact:

Vaibhav Desai

Manager, Xcelerate
Techfest 2009
+91 98336 65246
vaibhav[at]techfest[dot]org

2.1 Competition Details

The Set up must be able to transfer electricity for a minimum distance of 75 cm and the efficiency from the power input to the source to the power consumed by the load should be at least 33%.
The Set up must be entirely built by the competitors. Use of Lego parts or any other readymade parts is not allowed.
The electricity should be transferred through air, no other medium is allowed. There should be no casing to the path between the source and the load.
The mechanism for the transfer of electricity should be a non radiating field.
The participants can get their own input power supply. If required, the organizers will provide a standard 230V/50 Hz AC power supply. Any extension cords, eliminators, adapters etc. required will have to be arranged by participants themselves.
The output voltage should be able to light a 60W / 220V bulb.
The use of power supply or amplifier is not allowed at the output end.
There is a large scope for innovative extras like transferring the electricity even if there is an obstruction in the path between source and load. Although these are not necessary for completing the challenge, they will give the participants additional credit.
The participants have to successfully demonstrate their setup at Techfest 2009 to be eligible for the prize.
The judges will subjectively evaluate the Witricity Setup based on these clauses and determine whether the participant has successfully completed the Golden Challenge.

NOTE: Use of radiation is NOT allowed in any direction. Therefore, transmission of energy as is done for radio/mobile is NOT allowed. The principle of resonance should be effectively used. Basically the power required to light the bulb, must be derived by an electrical circuit tuned to the frequency of the source, so that the energy is drawn only by this circuit; as opposed to radiation from the source, where all objects in the path of radiation would be affected. Thus, the mechanism is more of extraction of energy from the source, rather than radiation from it.

Listed below are some of the websites which can help you understand the concept better:

2.2 Abstract Submission

The participants will have to send abstracts based on following guidelines. Teams will be shortlisted for accommodation on the basis of these abstracts. Please note that the short listing is only for accommodation, you are still eligible to participate even if you are not shortlisted for accommodation.
Please make a ZIP file of the portfolio containing the .doc/ .pdf and .jpg files. Use your registration number to name the ZIP file and send it to gc[at]techfest[dot]org
The last date for submission of abstracts for those participants who require accommodation is 15th December 2008 and for the rest of the participants is 31st December 2008.

2.3 Abstract Details

The Setup Design: Description of the design of the design including dimensions and materials used. Use of AutoCAD designs is encouraged.
Coil and Oscillator Design and details: If Coils/Oscillators are used to transfer and receive electricity, their design, size with dimensions should be mentioned along with the electricity required, efficiency etc.
Transfer Mechanism: How is the electricity transferred, what is the mechanism and how is it non radiating etc need to be explained.
PHOTOS of your machine in current state, in JPG format. Note that even photos of incomplete machine can be attached.

View the Rules »

3.1 General Rules

Any team that is not ready at the time specified will be scratched from the competition automatically.
The machine will be checked for its safety before the race and will be discarded if found unsafe for other participants and spectators.
Judges decision shall be treated as final and binding on all.
The organizers reserve the rights to change any or all of the above rules as they deem fit. Change in rules, if any will be highlighted on the website and notified to the registered participants.

3.2 Team Specifications

A team may consist of a maximum of 4 members. Students from different educational institutes can form a team.

3.3 Eligibility

All students with a valid identity card of their respective educational institutes are eligible to participate in Golden Challenges at Techfest 2009.

3.4 Certificate Policy

Certificate of Excellence will be given to all the winners approved by the judges.

3.5 Registration