We’re one step closer to true wireless charging thanks to the Japanese

We’re on step closer to achieving wireless charging, and I mean true wireless charging, the kind where your smartphone can be anywhere in the room and still be getting juice, thanks to researchers at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. Scientists there have successfully transmitted 1.8 kilowatts of electricity to a receiver 170 feet away by using microwaves, the largest amount of electricity transferred at a distance. 

Ever dreamed of unfettering your teakettle from the kitchen outlet? A breakthrough by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) may someday help you do just that. Scientists recently succeeded in transmitting 1.8 kilowatts of electricity — enough to power 18 hundred-watt light bulbs, a single hair dryer, or the aforementioned teakettle — to a receiver 170 feet away via microwave. Experiments of this nature have been conducted before, but Phys.org notes that this marks the largest amount of electricity transferred at a distance with minimal deterioration. Attenuation, which increases proportional to distance, has long been the Achilles heel of wireless electrical transmitters. While the method developed by JAXA could have household implications, the agency is in the process of investigating inter-atmospheric applications. The goal is to one day launch solar panel-equipped satellites outfitted with microwave antennas, which could beam collected energy to base stations on Earth.