Wireless Charging

I had thought of wirelessly charging gadgets before I read this so to read it makes it more of a reality. We have wireless devices for the internet, bluetooth technology, infra-red which can make life easier when it comes to cords but we always have to have cords to recharge these gadgets in one or another. To be able to remove the need for this as it could sit in a cradle, etc it would make things even easier to recharge devices. Anyway this bit below is an excerpt and gives a bit of an idea of what it is all about but the full article has a bit more information as well.

How it works

There are three basic technologies for wireless charging: radio, resonance, and induction.

Radio charging is well suited for charging low-power devices at long distances -- some 30 feet away. This technology is ideal for trickle-charging advance RFID chips affixed to, say, palettes loaded with products in a warehouse.

Resonance charging makes sense for robots, cars, vacuum cleaners, and other applications that require massive power over minute distances -- essentially making contact with plastic, but not metal.

Toothbrushes now, and random gadgets will very soon, use inductive charging. This technology uses a coil to create an electromagnetic field across a charging station surface. The device then converts power from the field back into usable electricity, which is put to work charging the battery. (Meanwhile, researchers at MIT said this week that they have come up with a way to wirelessly supply power that could lead to the development of gadgets that don't require batteries at all.)

For the full article, go to: http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=753334517&eid=-6787