Professor Shanhui Fan and his team have developed a wireless charging system that could transmit electricity even as the distance to the receiver changes. They have incorporated an amplifier and feedback resistor that allows the system to automatically adjust its operating frequency as the distance between the charger and the moving object changes.

By replacing their original amplifier with a far more efficient switch mode amplifier, they boosted efficiency. The latest iteration can wirelessly transmit 10 watts of electricity over a distance of 2 or 3 feet.

Shanhui says there aren't any fundamental obstacles to scaling up a system to transmit the tens or hundreds of kilowatts that a car would need. In fact, he claims the system is more than fast enough to resupply a speeding automobile.

Excerpted from "Engineers Race to Develop Wireless Charging Technology"