NIKOLA TESLA (1856 – 1943)
Tesla coil (“Tesla transformer”): produces alternating current using polyphase systems
(def: is said of an electrical system comprising several phases and based on the principle
of magnetic induction).
Futuristic boats and first steps towards robotics
Tesla invented the loudspeaker but did not reveal this discovery until 20 years later and
did not file any patents. Then, after long and painstaking experimentation, he filed the
very first patent for the radio (which was therefore not from Marconi). Then, he
experimentally demonstrated the effectiveness of his remote-controlled boat, powered
by an internal battery and controlled remotely. In order to be able to put his umpteenth
technological creation into practice, he invented “logic gates”, used today in computers
and robotics. He did not limit himself to automating boats and generalized the potential
of this invention to vehicles of all kinds, including submarines and planes. Industrial
robotics only appeared a century later...
Alternating current vs direct current
Thanks to the brand new transformers developed by Tesla, it becomes possible to
transport the voltage of the A.C. over very long distances using very thin cables, without
having to use, as in the case of the D.C. (defended by Edison), a power station for each
km² and thick cables. D.C. had the huge disadvantage of losing power as the distance
increased, due to high electrical resistance. Tesla's system presented itself as more
efficient and cost-effective. It also allowed him to lay the foundations for the first
hydroelectric power station in Niagara Falls.
Tesla's big plan was to distribute energy to everyone for free, instead of charging for it.
In such a society, peace and prosperity would have been universal, but this contrasted
with the prevailing logic of profit.
Free energy.
The main sources of free energy that Tesla referred to were the Sun, the magnetosphere
and their mutual interaction, the Earth and cosmic rays. In summary, Tesla's main goal
was to condense the energy trapped between the Earth and the upper atmosphere, to
transform it into electric current. He visualized the Sun as a huge ball made of positively
charged electricity with a potential of over 200 billion volts and the Earth as a negatively
charged body. The tremendous electrical force that erupted between these two bodies
constituted, at least in part, what he called "cosmic energy." This energy varies, but is
always present. Tesla also wrote articles on other alternative energy sources, such as
geothermal or tidal energy. Then he began to think about what would later be called an
"X-ray."
Due to the lack of foresight and the apparent indifference of the academics and military
of the time, several Tesla inventions were not exploited because they considered them
disturbing and too futuristic, not directly or immediately marketable…
Colorado Springs Laboratory
It housed the largest coil ever built (d = 16m) referred to as an amplifier device, capable
of generating 10,000 W. Thanks to its facilities, he was the first man on Earth to create
electrical effects using lightning scale. People who had the opportunity to see what was
happening in the laboratory often received electric shocks in their feet, through the soles
of their shoes. Some even observed electric discharges from the fire hydrants and the
area around the laboratory was flooded with blue light. These were the side effects of
Tesla's attempts to tune his transmitter to Earth's resonance frequencies. Even today, at a
distance of more than a century, magnetic intensity maps show that the ground around
his laboratory has a stronger magnetic field than around.
One of the experiments conducted with the amplifier device once destroyed the nearby
power company's generator, plunging the town into complete darkness. The
paradoxically interesting aspect of this incident is that, having been provoked by high-
frequency waves with a high calorific value, Tesla laid the foundations of the operation
of the microwave oven, invented 80 years ago after.
Probably the most important discovery that Tesla made at Colorado Springs was that of
"terrestrial standing waves". He proved that the Earth can act as a conductor and
therefore respond effectively to electrical vibrations of a certain frequency. From
calculations based on his experiments, while transmitting extremely low frequencies
(ELF) through the ground, Tesla discovered that the Earth's resonance frequency was 8
Hz. He finally guessed that, based on of this technology, it was possible, using ELF
frequencies, to interact both with the bioelectric activity of the brain and with the natural
vibration of the molecules of the human body. One could thus positively or negatively
manipulate the biophysics according to the frequencies used.
In short, Tesla had discovered that every object has a natural frequency of vibration and
that if any object is shaken at this frequency (called the "resonance frequency"), it will
begin to shake until it breaks. Eventually, he designed (unwittingly!) an earthquake
machine.
Several devices set up in Colorado Springs were the predecessors of the radio, the radar
and the magnetic resonance system for medical use. It is believed that most of the
discoveries Tesla made in Colorado Springs have been lost over time, in consideration of
the secrecy with which Tesla stubbornly shrouded certain special experiments. Among
Tesla's top-secret projects, it was rumored that one in particular, largely already
experimented with and known as the "death ray", was ready.
The Tower of Wardenclyffe: the super wireless transmitter (h=60m, d=35m)
Under the guise of experiments in radio and telegraphy, Tesla actually used this new
equipment to harness the Earth's natural resonance to carry high electrical powers using
antennas. He thought he could use the Earth as a giant conductor to transmit energy and
communications anywhere in the world, without using cables (he then laid the
foundations of modern superconductors). During the same period, he spoke of
experiments that suggested the existence of particles with fractional charges of one
electron, the same particles that, 76 years later, other scientists would discover under the
name "quark".
Alas, the tower was dismantled when its funder learned of Tesla's true purpose. From
then on, Tesla never again had the concrete possibility of transporting energy freely
around the world and he declared, before the tower was destroyed: "Wireless art offers
possibilities far superior to any invention or discovery never made before, and if the
conditions are right, we can expect that in the next few years, wonders will emerge from
the applications of this technology”.
The high-efficiency turbine and the electrotherapy device
The turbine project was certainly the last to be commercialized on a large scale. Before
this discovery, Tesla had done business by selling inventions relating to devices whose
electrotherapeutic characteristics derived from his famous coil and he also designed and
marketed the car tachometer, which was based on the principle of the rotating turbine,
among other things. It was precisely the invention of the tachymeter, which allowed him
to receive royalties over the next 20 years. Then, to compensate for his increasingly
meager earnings, he also wrote articles for popular magazines on the future of electricity
and radio and, using his very good knowledge of foreign languages (he was fluent in 8
languages) and his editorial skills, he devoted himself to the translation of works from
Eastern European countries.
Although they did not present a concrete gain for him, Tesla showed a very great interest
in electrical devices for therapeutic purposes (electrotherapy). He discovered that certain
frequencies had healing power over the body and mind. The radiation, which he
transmitted using an electrical device derived from his famous coil, had the power to
increase blood circulation by exerting a warming (diathermic) effect, as well as
oxygenation and the increase of the nutritive value of the blood and to accelerate the
elimination of waste.
Tesla discovered that ELF waves (4 to 8 Hz in particular) were very harmful and could
be used as a weapon by upsetting the bioelectrical activity of the brain. However, he also
discovered that at 8 Hz, the mind experiences a deep state of relaxation, a frequency
which, among other things, corresponds exactly to the main resonant frequency of the
Earth. By studying the behavior of low frequency waves, he realized that it was possible
to build an electromagnetic weapon capable of manipulating and controlling not only the
forces of nature, but also the mind. A project of this kind, referred to as “Project MK
Ultra” has unfortunately been underway for several years in the United States and in
Russia.
Other unfulfilled dreams:
- radar
- ray of death (“peace”)
- fluorescent lamps and illumination of the nocturnal Earth's atmosphere (ionize the
upper atmosphere using a UV beam so that it becomes conductive before sending very
high frequency + voltage electrical energy so that it lights up according to the same
principle as the polar aurora) = HAARP project
- electric aircraft (Nasa: Breakthrough Propulsion Physics project, since 1997)
- plasma weapons
Tesla, a pioneer, lays the foundation for:
- cryogenic techniques (“gaseous” cooling)
- electronic microscope
- radio-guided torpedoes
Quotes:
“Science is only a perversion if its aim is not to improve the conditions of humanity”.
"Any effort made under duress requires in return the sacrifice of a part of our vital
energy".
"Most people are so absorbed in the outside world that they are completely unaware of
what is going on inside."
"Intuition is something that transcends knowledge. No doubt we possess certain finer
nerves which facilitate the apprehension of truth, when mere logical deduction or any
other operation of the brain is ineffectual."
