Virtualizing power cords by wireless power transmission and energy harvesting

In this paper, we introduce two different approaches for the virtualization of power cords for electrical devices. The first approach is a new concept for routing electric power by wireless transfer on two-dimensional surfaces, such as floors and walls. Unlike any other existing wireless power transfer scheme, this method can deliver electric power over a wide range with minimal loss. We realize this method using multi-hop displacement of a magnetic antenna array. Each array element can be selectively resonated with adjacent elements to deliver power without physical contact. The second approach utilizes far-field RF energy harvesting. Using an efficient voltage multiplier and adaptive software-based control, it is possible to operate low-power wireless sensors continuously.