The concept employs two electrical coils, one in the charger and one in the device itself, and something called "inductive coupling." The workings may be obscure to mere mortals, but the process ends up operating remarkably simply for consumers. Set the device down, and it starts recharging.

One day, the coils could be safely scattered around a room, in walls and even floors, so that devices would get snippets of power as we wander about, says David Baarman, Fulton's director of advanced technologies: "We won't even have to think about recharging."

This summer, Visteon, a maker of auto electronics, will start selling a base-station-like insert for a car's cupholder. A cord will run from the charger to the car's 12-volt outlet (where we used to plug in cigarette lighters). Adapters called iGo from Mobility Electronics will attach to devices, which will allow them to drop onto the base station for recharging.

In a year or so, replacement batteries from Motorola will integrate half the charging mechanism into a cellphone, and automakers soon will install the other half into central consoles or glove boxes, says Melvin Sarnowsky, who manages the wireless charging program at Visteon. Herman Miller, which makes office furniture, will offer desks with built-in charging stations. Other manufacturers can integrate the circuits into music players and other mobile gadgets. It won't be difficult or expensive, Sarnowsky says: "We don't have to invent anything. They are simple copper coils."

Copyright © 2007.U.S. News and World Report.