The new version of MagMIMO by MIT which is being worked on in the MIT labs can charge a phone from up to 30 cm (almost a foot) away, several times farther than current wireless charging methods. MIT researchers are working to extend that range to turn it into WiFi for power.
The latest trend in technology is booming up a notch. With researchers at MIT counting sleepless nights perfecting this technology, we can easily expect one hell of a future.
If this system can be perfected, you might not even have to take the phone out of your pocket to charge it — MagMIMO will simply detect the phone and project a cone of energy towards it to connect.
MagMIMO offers this level of freedom thanks to a technique borrowed from high-end WiFi routers. When a router detects a device attempting to connect, it can actually ramp up the signal strength and direct it toward the source of the the connection (i.e. beamforming). That’s the same thing MagMIMO does, except it uses a magnetic field. An electromagnetic wave like a router puts out can cause heat build-up when focused strongly, but that’s not the case with a magnetic field. So MagMIMO should be safe, though I have to wonder if it could affect pacemakers.