A World Without Wires

Is electricity without any wires possible? WiTricity seems to think so. They have developed a "source resonator" that is just a coil of wire that when power is attached, it creates a magnetic field in the air. If an electricity-using device, with its own coil of wire, is near this source resonator it can generate an electric charge that can power the device. Right now, they have tested this technology using lightbulbs and it works! And the field produced, similar to a field prodcued by a wi-fi router, is completely harmless to humans. As you can probably imagine, this technology can be applied to so many things. WiTricity sees in the future a world where your phone charges in your pocket while you go about your daily activities, where T.V.s and other electronics don't need to be plugged in, and where electric cars only have to sit in the driveway to charge. Not only can this technology make our lives more convienent, it has great implications for the medical world. Medical devices that are implanted under the skin can be charged without anything having to go through the skin. Already, WiTricity is working with a medical company to explore the possibilities of this technology charging heart pumps.

But what's holding this huge technology surge back? Right now, the distance between the device and the resonator has to be impractically small. Making the coil bigger increases this distance. So, like most technology today they are working on how to get the most efficiency out of the smallest package. They have done this downsizing with computers, phones, and many other technologies throughout the years, so wireless electricity probably won't be out of the picture for long!