Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have demonstrated a revolutionary method of power electronic devices without the need for cables.

The wireless electricity system – nicknamed WiTricity – could revolutionise mobile devices, freeing them from the constraints of batteries, which add to the weight and often run down.

The MIT team have demonstrated that the technology can be used to power a light bulb using a transmitter two metres away. The scientists believe that the technology could be used to power larger devices, such as laptops, within three to five years.

“As long as the laptop is in a room equipped with a source of such wireless power, it would charge automatically, without having to be plugged in. In fact, it would not even need a battery to operate inside of such a room,” said Professor Peter Fisher of MIT.

The technology uses a property known as magnetically coupled resonance to transmit the power – this ensures that it does not interfere with other objects in the room. The researchers report that it is current already 80% as efficient as using power cables.

Press release