Dave Coates from the Air Force Research Lab in Dayton Ohio designed this Remote Auxiliary Power System. I don’t know where to begin with this device! I think this device is flawed in so many ways, I hate to think of how much money was pumped into getting this device to this stage… The cable that is being shown in the demonstration is one that would deliver power to a house or business, if you were that close to the house you could just use a ladder or the top of a Humvee to get up high enough to tap into the lines. Of course you could also just knock on the door and ask if you could plug in for a few hours or run an extension cord out the window for the day. I think the hook design is very flawed, what is going to happen when the blade slices into the hot conductor and then also touches the ground wire? If they want to grab power why not tap into the higher voltage bare transmission lines with a similar device minus the blade and just drive a spike into the ground for ground. They will need to step down the higher voltage but if they are wanting to charge some battery operated devices that would be no big deal. If they want to mount something on a Humvee they could make it very simple with a long telescopic fiberglass pole which has a remotely opening and closing claw that could grasp the line.
Via: Popular Science
“RAPS is a connecting device that’s attached to the end of a long cable. When the device is thrown over a power line, a blade at the end pierces the power line and completes the circuit that brings electricity down to the soldier. And that can mean a lot in the desert or jungle.”