Charger of the Future

Scientists at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering have come up with a unique way to charge electronic devices: by using fiberglass and copper to capture various types of waves. An e! Science News article, found here, describes the apparatus invented by Allen Hawkes, Alexander Katko, and Steven Cummer as effective at converting microwaves into electrical power, doling out 7.3 volts to a typical cell phone charger's 5 volts.

Much like solar cells, the new power source converts energy from the atmosphere around it into usable electricity for small devices. And although microwaves have been tested, those involved in the development are confident that other forms of energy can be converted using these "metamaterials." In fact, WiFi signals can be better protected with ceilings coated in the stuff. Most mind-blowing and hopeful, however, is the idea that metamaterials could someday be built into phones, allowing them to "recharge wirelessly while not in use," a feat that one could say might lead to world peace--or at least, peace between Siri and her human.

If wireless signals and other waves can be used to charge a cell phone, what else can they do? Will we ever be able to fully unlock the potential of these waves? We've gone so far as to harness electricity from a wireless device, a device that literally pulls energy from thin air; who's to say we can't go further and power larger, more power-hungry appliances and electronics using metamaterial?

This is quite a step into the utopia of the smartphone era, where data's always free and phones charge themselves. We might have phones actually pulling off the latter fairly soon, if the reactions of those involved with the project are any indication of just how successful their creation works. A very large step in the direction of a perfect world is always exciting, and if that perfect world includes a WiFi-chargeable smartphone, then sign me up for the future.