NASA:
One of three teams in a NASA competition to demonstrate power
beaming technology won $900,000 in prize money last
week.Seattle-based
LaserMotive won the
prize by using laser power to move a climber robot up a
one-kilometer ribbon at a speed of about four meters a second,
twice the speed needed to qualify for the prize.Two other teams
also participated in the competition but fell short of the
minimum speed needed to qualify for a share of the prize
purse.The prize is meant to demonstrate wireless power
transmission, a key technology needed for space elevators as
well as other transportation applications. The competition is
one of several that is part of
NASA's
Centennial Challenges prize program.
