It might seem like a new technological advancement, but it’s not. It is a technology that has been around for nearly 130 years, which makes it even older than the Ford Model T. It is a wonder why it is only appearing now, considering that it has been around for over a century.
So how did it start, and how does it work?
The story begins in 1831 when English physicist Michael Faraday discovered the underlying magnetic and induction principles which led to induction charging, which can transfer energy wirelessly between two receivers.
He described his experiment, which produced a "current of electricity by ordinary magnets," in an 1831 series of lectures at the Royal Society in London. Faraday had used a liquid battery to send an electric current through a small coil. Then when it moved in our out of a larger coil, the magnetic field changed—it created a momentary voltage in the smaller coil.
There was also Nikola Tesla who was determined to transmit electricity without the use of wires. By using Faraday’s principles, he was able to demonstrate the ability to transmit energy through the air.
He created a magnetic field between two circuits, a transmitter and a receiver, in the late 19th century.
And if you're picturing something straight out of The Prestige, you're not far off.
If you head over to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, you can see this history in action. Tesla's coil prototype has been on display there since 1937. In the demo, it powers a neon sign without any wires—and that's what's going on inside your smartphone when you place it on a wireless charger.
While scientists discovered wireless charging—it didn't have many practical uses, at least not at first. Prior to smartphones, smartwatches and electric vehicles, most applications for wireless charging came down to...electric toothbrushes.
Since the 90s, electric toothbrushes with plastic bottoms have used inductive charging built into the stand.
(Video Credit: Extant Chronicles/ YouTube)