Until now, methods of delivering electricity to communication devices located away from a mains supply have included solutions like power over Ethernet, where a network cable is used to carry power.
However, the development of means of achieving the same effect in wireless communications environments could see electricity delivered over tens of kilometres without any wiring needed.
A broad range of applications are identified for the capability, ranging from consumer electronics such as mobile phones to military uses and power grids embedded into roadways.
"In the future, wireless transmission will have the capability of sending large amounts of power to remote locations," says Pike Research president Clint Wheelock.
The technology could even see energy transmitted skywards, allowing unmanned aircraft to draw their power remotely from the ground beneath them as they pass over it.
