No wires! Wi-fi power arrives

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No wires! Wi-fi power arrives

System To Recharge Unplugged Electronic Device Developed

The days of wires and batteries powering electronics could soon be at an end.
A new system has been developed that means laptops, mobile phones and televisions could be left unplugged but still be recharged.
The new technology exploits a recent breakthrough in physics and can be used to charge a number of different electronic devices. A US firm, WiTricity, has shown that it can send electricity wirelessly through the air to switch on a light bulb or keep the power running on a computer.
Speaking at the TED Global conference in Oxford, Eric Giler, Chief executive of WiTricity, displayed mobile phones and televisions being powered without the need for wires. "Let's face it, wires suck," Giler said. "Batteries also suck."
The new system has the potential of doing away with mountains of disposable batteries and miles of wiring that are used to power many electronic devices. Giler said: "There is something like 40 billion disposable batteries built every year for power that, generally speaking, is used within a few inches or feet of where there is very inexpensive power."
The science behind the system was developed by physicist Marin Soljacic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The system works by transferring energy between two magnetic coils.
The first coil is placed in a box attached to a homes electricity mains and can be embedded into a wall or ceiling. The second coil is attached to a device, such as a Television or laptop.
Electromagnetic waves are transferred between the two coils, which resonate at the same frequency and the second coil absorbs energy as a result.
The Institute of Physics said that a key innovation meant that the system was safe as the system uses a magnetic field which had no detrimental effects on the human body.
Wireless technology has been developed previously, with major companies such as Intel showcasing a similar system last year and other companies using lasers to transfer energy. TIMES ONLINE