Scientists have worked out how to use an infrared laser to charge devices at a distance. The system can deliver up to 400 milliwatts of power up to a distance of 30 meters (100 feet). That amount of power is sufficient to charge small sensors and other tech, and with developments, it could be possible to charge mobile devices too.
The work, published in the journal Optics Express, focused on a method called distributed laser charging. They showed that an infrared laser (whose wavelength can’t harm skin or eyes) was shined through a spherical ball lens towards a device with a photovoltaic receiver of 10 by 10 millimeters (0.4 by 0.4 inches).
The receiver is small enough to be attached to many mobile devices and sensors, and the team showed that it was able to convert 400 milliwatts to 85 milliwatts of electrical power. A small but significant result.
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