Cool new technology - NBC

The Observer, Sunday 4 January 2009

electricity through the air to laptops, iPods and other gadgets
without the need for cables and sockets.

Untethered lighting, audio speakers and digital picture frames are
expected to be among the first commercial products demonstrated in Las
Vegas this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show, the
world's biggest gadgets tradeshow.

Experts believe this is just the beginning and that eventually
laptop users in cafes and airport terminals would be inside an
furniture in search of an awkwardly located socket.

"You'd be able to buy a desk that charged any gadget placed on it, or
power any PC you put on top," said James Holland, editor of gadgets

"If each room had wireless power, you'd know that once you walked
through the front door your mobile would start charging up - even
while still in your bag or pocket. You'd never need to hunt for the
right charger again."

Among the companies showcasing the ambitious technology at CES is
PowerBeam. Its system turns electricity into an invisible laser, then
converts it back into electricity.

thinking about it."

The Silicon Valley company can currently use a laser to generate about
could comfortably be scaled up.


The technology also promises energy efficiency because it would only
power products when needed.

Concerns have been raised about a possible link between
electromagnetic waves and cancer, but scientists insist that the
energy would only be picked up by gadgets designed to "resonate" with
the field.