For a few years now the idea of wireless power has been a shining light in the lives of gadgeteers, whose homes resemble cable repositories. At the TED Global 2009 conference this week, it got one step closer. Eric Giler, chief executive of Witricity unveiled the concept which is based on an idea by MIT's Marin Soljacic and exploits the resonance of low frequency electromagnetic waves.

The system uses two coils, one at the mains and one on the gadget, both of which have been engineered with the same resonant frequency. When connected up to an electricity supply, the mains coil produces a magnetic field that resonates with the second coil, allowing voltage to build up to power the gadget. The technology could even be used for electric cars, which could be charged up from a mat placed beneath its wheels in the garage.

Giler showed off a TV and two phones — a Google G1 and an iPhone — which had been adapted to use the technology. He did, however, admit that the Cupertino product had been a harder nut to crack. "They don't make it easy at Apple to get inside their phones so we put a little sleeve on the back," he said. There had even, he added, been a proposal for an electrically-heated dog bowl. "You go from the sublime to the ridiculous."

Via BBC News