CNN has reported that Intel has shown it can wirelessly transmit power, making a 60-watt bulb glowing using a source that was three feet away, at 75% efficiency.
Their work builds on a foundation laid at MIT, which has christened the technology WiTricity.
It all means that wireless power transmission could be slowly creeping closer, but don’t expect to be able to recharge your laptop battery without plugging the machine in anytime soon.
Intel’s chief technology officer, Justin Rattner, told the news channel:
"The power pack for your laptop isn’t that efficient. … It’s one of those things that’s almost too good to be true."
For now, not only are the coils used to transmit the power too large for homes, there’s an additional problem – working out how to stop the electromagnetic field of the power transmission from interfering with other parts within the computer.
At present, researchers posit householders having large transmitters on or on walls, with small receivers scattered around the house, such as inside furniture, meaning that wherever you take your laptop, you can recharge it.
