That immense, gigantic genius that was Nikola Tesla built a tower, the Wardenclyffe Tower, in the middle of Long Island: an installation, he said, capable of transmitting electricity without the need for wires.
The project (with attached mysterious fire) shipwrecked among a thousand mysteries despite the fact that Tesla had already transmitted energy at a distance in other experiments, and since then the project was shelved.
More than a century later it's still big game hunting: large companies (Toyota, Intel, Samsung, Foxconn) and small startups (WiTricity, ProxybyPower) have multiplied their efforts to reach the historic milestone, that of transmitting electricity through magnetic fields.
Something is already visible and on the market: it is there a whole series of low efficiency accessories that allow you to recharge a device without connecting it to cables (I'm thinking of small 'mats' on which to place a mobile phone or a razor).
The next step is easy to predict: recharging an object without the need for 'supports': this is the path taken by WiTricity, a company (exclusive owner of the patent) that uses magnetic resonance to move energy through the atmosphere. It works exactly like this: two devices 'resonate' at the same frequency so that a magnetic wave fluctuates very precisely between them. One device can be placed in a home electrical outlet and be able to charge an electric car that is in the garage. An impressive range according to Eric Giler, the company's CEO: 3.300 watts without appreciable losses.
We come to the doubts, or the painful notes if you prefer: is it safe?
According to Giler, moving like the waves of terrestrial magnetism, electricity sent without wires does not harm humans: it would be well below the limits of magnetism imposed by law.
How long will witricity be spread?
The applications are all being tested, but could reach the market within the next three years.
You don't need wires to be electrified by this novelty.
