Electricity is the crux of all civilization as we know it today. If it was possible to transfer electric current in a wireless manner, it would truly revolutionize the way we live. Imagine being able to charge electric vehicles, mobile phones, medical implants and a whole lot more gadgets wirelessly?

A team of researchers at Stanford University have set the ball rolling to make this phenomenon possible. Professor Shanhui Fan and his student Sid Assawaworrarit have made the prototype of a device which can wirelessly charge a moving object at close range.

In the experiment a moving LED bulb was transferred a 1-milliwatt charge wirelessly by the device. While this science project builds on existing technology, there is still a long way to go for the researchers as electric vehicles require tens of kilowatts of electric power to work.

The team is now working on increasing the amount of electric charge that can be transferred by the device. Should they be successful, it will not only help with current gadgets that require recharging, but also open up the field to a host of new gadgets which may be designed without the limitation of having to be charged in a stationery position.