WiTricity: Wireless Transfer of Electrical Energy

We all know that the data transfer from one PC (Personal Computer) to another is now possible without any wire between two PCs. How about if you do not need to carry any more the bunch of heavy weight adaptors and power cords to switch on and/or recharge your laptop, cell phone, mp3 player and other portable electronics? How about if your cell phone charges itself without ever being plugged in? How about if you no need to carry the bulky batteries for your laptop any more? Obviously that will be fantastic!

WiTricity (originated from words “Wireless” and “Electricity”) describes such an ability that transfers electrical power without wires to remote objects. The WiTricity protocol still is in its infancy and it was Nikola Tesla, who first demonstrated a "transmission of electrical energy without wires" in 1891 and since then a little development has been made in this field. In the last few years exponential growth of portable electronic devices, especially mobile devices led the scientists to rethink about wireless transmission of electricity. Although the mobile phone in your hand can wirelessly connect you another mobile phone, but the power cord is the last wire that you can’t avoid. Here the WiTricity will play its role and the mobile phone will never run out of charge, you will never be in a hurry while working in your laptop, seeing the alarming battery bar and you will never be frustrated again realizing that you forgot to carry the power cord of your notebook with you. This will happen as electrical power will continuously be transferred to your portable electrical gadgets wirelessly in the name of WiTricity.

However, until now, most of WiTricity remains theoretical and then in 2007, a truly ground-breaking success has been made in the field of WiTricity by a group of scientists from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) of USA. Researchers form MIT successfully light up a 60-watt light bulb using a power source that was 2 meters (7 feet) away and there were no physical connection between the bulb and the power source. Notably, the energy transfer efficiency was around 40% which means 60% of energy could not be transferred and thereby wasted. The bulb was even made to glow when obstructions such as wood, metal and electronic devices were placed between the bulb and power source. Is it not revolutionary?

This achievement in the field of WiTricity is indeed an apparent indication that we are on our way to make a wireless world, shortly, where I may need to write an article on the wire as an antique element for future generation.