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Microwaves that use directed or reflected waves and to better direct or target energy to specific spots in food. Thermal vision in microwaves and more automated time/power controls.
Why are we still just blasting waves on a spinning dish as high as we can? Like we can pinpoint microwaves for devices with our routers, but we can do it for inside a controlled environment in a box?!
This is my evidence if someone tries to patent this and lock people out of making cool products that I said it here first!
Cost-benefit is not there. You can buy fancy ones that do some such things, but they are expensive.
Do you have any models in particular you are thinking of? I was in the market a few years ago when I thought of this, but couldn't find anything. So far I've found one's with weight, and ambient temp sensors, and a heating element and fan combination for roasting and convection, but nothing like what I've described.
Nah, sry. I just heard/read about them. One thing is using an inverter to control power instead of on/off timing. Other is using a bunch of sensors, that i remember as an idea many years ago.
https://shop.panasonic.com/products/homechef-4-in-1-multi-oven-1-2-cu-ft-1000w
Seems to have both (i just googled "fancy microwave" and it was the first result :)).
For my needs just a timer dial is enough.
No worries! Yeah, the inverter control is definitely a step in the right direction, though!
| For my needs, just a timer dial is enough. Most of the time it ain't that deep, so time + power level really is enough. It's just I think the microwave could be a much more versatile cooking appliance!
If you don't want multiple magnetrons (which would work too as a standard antenna in the wireless model of MIMO) you could use a electromechanical system, ie point magnetrons at reflective plates and move and adjust them to least direct the waves to a given point. Multi antennas I think would give a better granularity (because you can control the wave as well as direction and be able to time the peaks to hit inside a target vs just aiming the beams to a given spot). You may be able to get that with an electromechanical system, but it's not something I know of a lot of public info on, but if you could get a time division demux device for high power microwave that directs the different peaks to specific reflectors, you'd be good too.
Any openhard ware folks, please take this if you are interested!!!
In lighting effects an analogue could be a 'scanner', it reflects a stationary beam with a motorized mirror. Or you could mount the whole magnetron on a moving head!
You have a point! Did you know about inverter microwaves? now you have 2 options, full blast, and less full blast! https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/85575 this cool person found out about this in 1991, and now my microwave has it. Welcome to the future :D
Why don't we have microwave coolers yet?!?
Just make your own!
https://youtu.be/MHm3fHVZitI?si=xKR-pi6d5Bjsymts
I can only find papers talking about using microwaves at near the 0 K scales for that (and admittedly I definitely don't enough quantum mechanics to even hazard a guess as that works from reading the summaries!!!), so I am not sure about it at higher heats (like around 300K).
Routers? Do you mean Wi-Fi routers? Because they certainly don't pinpoint waves for each device, they send all traffic out in all directions.
Why 'correct' someone when their knowledge of a topic so clearly outstrips your own?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beamforming
I'm happy to accept that I was wrong, in fact this is a very interesting bit of technology! I didn't intend to be rude, unlike you, clearly.
I'd also like to add that beamforming, despite the name, does not actually involve creating a directed beam. As I described the antenna still sends a signal out in all directions - multiple antennae work together to create an interference pattern with a stronger signal where a device is located. While I wasn't aware of this technology, it is not as "directed" as the name implies and wouldn't necessarily have applications inside a microwave oven, especially since the wavelengths used are pretty long, so I don't think they would not have much flexibility to create the kind of precise pattern that cooking something while skipping the empty space would require.
While the total length of the average Microwave's wave is about 4.7 - 4.9 inches (12.5 CM) you can further pinpoint the phase of the wave as well both by frequency (playing with that .2 inches in the bandwidth) and phase modulation. This could be further tuned if needed by allowing Microwave ovens to operate in the other ISM band of 5.7 GHZ allowing for 2 inch waves (5.3 CM) or even the 61.25 GHZ band (0.19 inches). Though, as you move up in frequency, you see less penetration as the power is lost faster on the surface of the objects.
Would any of that really make it heat more efficiently though? You'd need at least two magnetrons, some sort of computer vision system, and a computer to do the necessary calculations. Even if you could practically produce an interference pattern that's better than a single standing wave, I suspect you'd lose more energy than you save.
It might be more efficient though honestly that wouldn't be MY goal. The main thing would be improving the quality of cooking provided by microwave ovens, less cold centers, burnt outsides, uneven heatings, etc.