Disney is working on technology similar to Wi-Fi that can power up mobile devices without the need for wires.

    So far researchers have successfully tested the method inside a 25-sqm room. The technology, called quasistatic cavity resonance (QSCR)*, uses magnetic fields* to transmit power to mobile devices, and is being developed by scientists at Disney’s research lab in Pittsburgh.

    Alanson Sample, lab director and principal research scientist at Disney Research, said: “This new innovative method will make it possible for electrical power to become as ubiquitous* as Wi-Fi. This in turn could enable new applications for robots and other small mobile devices by eliminating* the need to replace batteries and wires for charging.”

    The technology works by running electrical currents in metal walls, the floor and the ceiling of a room.

    This in turn generates magnetic fields that can travel across the room’s interior.

    Power currents form when the magnetic waves are then transmitted to coils that operate on the same frequency. But the currents are safe to humans because they are channeled through specialized conductors that soak up any harmful electrical fields.

    “In this work, we’ve demonstrated room-scale wireless power, but there’s no reason we couldn’t scale this down to the size of a toy chest or up to the size of a warehouse,” said Sample.

    “Our simulations* show we can transmit 1.9 kilowatts of power while meeting safety guidelines,” said Disney researcher Matthew Chabalko said. “This is equivalent to simultaneously* charging 320 smart phones.”(SD-Agencies)