WiTricity: Power can be sent through thin air

Electric plugs could become things of the past after scientists devised a way of recharging laptops and mobile telephones without the need for cables.

For the first time electrical engineers have powered a light bulb from a source seven feet away without a cable using mainly magnetic waves.



They believe the WiTricity technology could be developed to allow portable electronic gadgets to be charged wirelessly.

It would also help the environment, dispensing with the long-term problems caused by battery disposal.

Here's the science.