The technology is based on magnetic induction — the process used to recharge electric toothbrushes. In the toothbrush, the base has a magnetic coil that generates a magnetic field. A second coil in the toothbrush captures some of that field, inducing an electric current.
But electric toothbrushes transfer power only from the primary coil to the secondary one at very close range. Move the brush a short distance from the base, and it won’t charge.
WiTricity extends the range of induction, wirelessly charging objects that are three or four feet away — sometimes farther — from the primary source of electricity, Mr. Giler said…
Professor Fleischer said that “the magic is in the tuning.” The magnetic coil that plugs into an outlet is engineered so it resonates at the same frequency as the companion coil embedded in the smartphone or other device. The devices join in a continuous magnetic field, and enough resonance results to induce an electrical charge for needy batteries.
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