Wireless power edges closer to the mainstream

We're getting tantalizingly close to being able to pull electrical power out of the air. Or, at least from an electromagnetic induction zone.

Right now, we have pad-like devices on which you simply place your device for recharging. iDapt, PowerMat and PureEnergy are examples of such offerings. No cords or plugs to mess with; no more wandering airport waiting areas in search of available outlets.

The main drawback with wireless power transfer has been the loss of electricity in the process. Now, according to Innovation News Daily, researchers at Duke University have devised a way to transfer power with minimal loss, through an emerging class of composite materials -- called "metamaterials:"

"While much electricity can be lost during the transfer from power source to device by a wireless charger, metamaterials would keep much of that energy intact as they conduct and refocus it. Metamaterials could have real-world applications within two to three years, said Yaroslav Urzhumov, an assistant professor who headed the Duke study."

A typical metamaterial may consist of an array of copper conducting loops. Urzhumov says using metamaterials will decrease power loss while enabling an increase in the range of transfers. This will even pave the way for the charging of devices larger than iPhones and laptops, such as electric automobiles, he adds.

How about power actually being beamed to devices several feet away, or on the other side of the room?  Still a dream, but Intel started thinking about this possibility a few years ago.  Josh Smith, a principle engineer at Intel, explained and demonstrated the concept in a video from 2008, in which energy is transmitted via magnetic fields. Smith points out that this is a safe transmission as well, since "the human body is not affected affected by magnetic fields; it is affected by electric fields."

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com