EEVblog #1001 - uBeam Ultrasonic Wireless Charging DEBUNKED!

EEVblogCited 3× on HN, 2017–2020

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commentary · intermediate · evergreen · 2017–2020 on HN

Dave Jones of EEVblog debunks the uBeam ultrasonic wireless phone charging technology and explains why it is not practical. He covers efficiency, coupling loss and safety, and responds to the founder's remarks about engineers.

Cited as the definitive engineering takedown of uBeam and as a cautionary example of hype-driven startups.

3 comments from Hacker News

@namibj2020-06 · in “Ultrasound Networking (2014)”

Dave Jones from EEVBlog made a debunking video on uBeam. They apparently tried to to do ultrasonic wireless charging, which seems to fit your description. Here's the video, it's mostly about efficiency/coupling loss (beam forming has it's limits) and IIRC also about being potentially harmful for humans: ▶ this video

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@neotek2018-10 · in “UBeam CEO Meredith Perry steps aside amidst B2B pivot”

Clever move, get out before the indictments land when investors figure out they've been had. uBeam's been completely full of shit from day one, and Perry is every bit as deceptive and deluded as Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes. Dave from EEVBlog has a couple of great videos about the uBeam scam, they're well worth watching: ▶ this video link

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@gh02t2017-07 · in “Juicero Plans to Lower Prices and Cut 25% of Staff”

Here's Dave Jones ripping into it pretty hard. ▶ this video The talk by the uBeam CEO he links is also pretty infuriating. link Her core hypothesis that experts can often get stuck "inside the box" is certainly valid, but on the other hand "I sat down and solved complex engineering problems in a few minutes with pencil and paper" (almost an exact quote from the talk) is just plain dumb. Not to mention the not subtle implication that good engineers are all socially retarded...

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