In 1902, the famous inventor and futurist Nikola Tesla set up shop on Long Island to begin work on his grand experiment. He envisioned the creation of a worldwide wireless power delivery system: a network of towers that could illuminate cities, communicate, and even electric planes in the sky, without wires, all. Based on his lab, he built the first prototype transmission device, a gigantic structure, known as the Wardencliff Tower.
Today, of course, we live in a world with deep wires. Over-the-air communication is ubiquitous. But with a handful of exceptions like cellphones and toothbrushes, we still send and receive electricity by wire.
So what happened to Tesla’s big ambitions? We traveled to Wardencliff to examine the remains of the lab and talk to some engineers and physicists about what was wrong with Tesla. It turns out there Is Something is progressing today in the world of wireless power transfer. So … was Tesla something?
Watch the video above to find out.
