The first homes with true room-scale wireless power are now being occupied in South Korea and Japan. Walk in, and every device charges automatically. No plugs. No cables. No thought required. Nikola Tesla's 130-year-old dream has finally arrived.
The End of Cables
WattAir, developed by Korean conglomerate SK, transmits up to 100 watts of power anywhere within a room using focused microwave beams. Sensors track device positions and steer power precisely, achieving 85% efficiency—comparable to wired charging.
"You'll never think about charging again," explains WattAir CEO Min-Jun Park. "Your phone charges in your pocket. Your laptop charges on your desk. Your earbuds charge while you're wearing them. Power becomes invisible."
"We're eliminating the last tether keeping us connected to walls. After this, devices become truly mobile—they go wherever you go, forever."
How It Works
WattAir uses phased array antennas—similar to 5G base stations—to create focused power beams. Devices equipped with small rectenna receivers (about the size of a postage stamp) convert microwave energy back to electricity.
Safety was the primary engineering challenge. The system tracks human positions using radar and creates "exclusion zones" around people, routing power beams to avoid biological exposure. Independent testing confirms radiation levels far below safety limits.
The Retrofit Problem
Current devices lack receivers, requiring adapter cases or stickers for existing phones and laptops. Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi have announced WattAir compatibility in their 2026 device lineups. Within five years, receivers will be standard in virtually all portable electronics.
Installation costs around $3,000 per room—expensive, but comparable to central HVAC. Early adopters are wealthy tech enthusiasts, but costs are expected to drop 80% by 2030 as manufacturing scales.
Industrial Applications
Consumer convenience is just the beginning. Factories are deploying wireless power for mobile robots that never stop to recharge. Hospitals are powering implanted medical devices without surgery. Warehouses are tracking inventory with perpetually-powered sensors.
Electric vehicle charging is next. Imagine roads that charge your car as you drive. Trials are underway in Sweden, where highway segments transmit power to moving vehicles. Range anxiety could become a historical footnote.
The Standards Battle
As with any transformative technology, competing standards threaten fragmentation. WattAir uses microwaves; Ossia's Cota uses different frequencies; Wi-Charge uses infrared. The VHS-Betamax war of wireless power is just beginning.
Industry groups are attempting to establish interoperability standards before the market fragments. Consumer confusion could delay adoption by years if manufacturers can't agree.
A Wireless Future
The vision extends beyond charging. Researchers are developing wireless power for:
- Smart contact lenses and neural implants
- Swarms of micro-robots for manufacturing and medicine
- Permanent atmospheric drones for communications
- Space-based solar power beamed to Earth
Tesla imagined wireless power in 1891. It took 134 years, but his vision is finally becoming reality. The cable is dying. And nothing about how we use technology will ever be quite the same.