Abstract
Since the time of Nikola Tesla, the dream of ubiquitous wireless power transfer (WPT) has tantalized generations of inventors and engineers. A practical, ubiquitous WPT infrastructure could offer tremendous benefits for mobile devices, such as extending battery lifetime, on-the-fly recharging, or, in some cases, eliminating batteries and pesky charging cords altogether. But these benefits can be achieved only if the spatial and temporal distribution of wireless power can be controlled. The authors consider approaches to achieving control over the distribution of long-range (electromagnetic far-field) wireless power, using multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) concepts adapted from the communication domain. They survey recent results in MIMO WPT theory and experiment, and conclude with their own experimental evidence that MIMO WPT can leverage the physics of multipath propagation to selectively enhance or block wireless power delivery, with a typical control range of 20 dB (100 times) in practical indoor environments. This article is part of a special issue on energy harvesting.
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