LaserMotive
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| Engineering | |
| Genre | Lasers |
| Founder | Tom Nugent and Jordin Kare |
| Headquarters | Kent, Washington |
| Website | lasermotive |
LaserMotive is a U.S. engineering firm developing technologies for efficiently transmitting power via lasers, a form of wireless energy transfer commonly called "laser power beaming".
LaserMotive was founded in 2006 by physicists Tom Nugent and Jordin Kare. The company's initial goal was to win the NASA Centennial Challenges Power Beam challenge. After winning the challenge, LaserMotive focused on developing the power beaming technology for commercial application on UAVs.
The power beaming system uses a laser running from a power supply. To define the beam size at its destination, the laser's light can be shaped by a set of optics. This light energy can be sent through air or the vacuum of space, onto a photovoltaic (PV) receiver, where it is converted back into electricity.
In addition to delivering energy through air or space, LaserMotive has adapted the technology to deliver over 10 watts of electricity through an optical fiber.
The electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency of modern laser technology can be over 85%, and off-the-shelf lasers can have an output efficiency of around 50%. The optical-to-electrical conversion efficiency of a photovoltaic receiver can be over 50% for monochromatic (or laser) light.
Lasermotive has investigated numerous applications for its laser power beaming technology, including transmission of power both to and from the ground, spacecraft, aerial vehicles, satellites, and a lunar rover.
The company's stated first goal was to win the Beam Power Challenge, part of the Space Elevator Games, to power a small climber up a vertical tether. They partnered with The Boeing Company, which provided them with test facilities, as well as specialized solar cells. In 2007, they failed to qualify for the Challenge due to difficulties meeting NASA's specifications.
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