The mess of wires, those power strips overloaded with transformers and maddening gadget connectors half a nanometer from perfection may all soon be a thing of the past. A little company called Fulton Innovations has created 'eCoupled Technology,' a charging station that can interface with any electronic gadget and charge it without any wires.

The technology perfects an old method of power transfer known as inductive coupling, where two neighboring coil devices are aligned with magnets so that one can transmit power to the other. Traditionally, these coil-energy transfers were subject to large energy loses that could exceed 30% of the total transfer because the devices only operated within very specific tolerances.

eCoupled took the transmitting coil (a power supply) and gave it the ability to adapt to changing loads and distances, eliminating previous limitations the technology faced. The result are energy transfers that rival the efficiency of traditional wall socket corded charges; they claim 1400W at 98% efficiency. Luckily, the device does not actually transfer electricity wirelessly through the air, saving us the task of dodging lightning bolts in our homes. Instead, the coils interface through magnetic contacts that can be universally applied to all electronic devices, effectively creating an 'open' power transmission standard that the current world of mismatching power bricks and cords sorely needs. As a welcome added bonus, this coil transfer technology can also accommodate radio frequency transmissions, meaning wireless internet or Bluetooth data transfers could also be performed through this device.

eCoupled has been quite a media darling of late, with many media channels picking up on the Reuters story that ran a week ago. The company's director of development, David Barman, recently appeared on ABC News Now: Ahead of the Curve (see the video below), explaining the technology in a rather bland interview.

The eCoupled Interview [via ABC News]

While all the attention may make the technology appear to be the next big thing, keep in mind major obstacles still litter the path to success. Currently, no devices have the necessary embedded coils that can interface with their nifty magnetic charger, rendering the device useless. A company called Mobility Electronics has stepped in with an adapter that they claim will interface Apple and Motorola products with eCoupled's charger. Such a move seems a bit empty when you consider the kind of person that buys an iPod Nano or a RAZR phone probably isn't going to want a coil charging dongle slinking off the side of their consumer sex symbol. Yet little eCoupled has shown that they can get involved with industry heavyweights, inking recent deals with car OEM supplier Visteon and the office furniture manufacture Herman Miller - both of which want to integrate the charger into their respective product lines.

John Analysis:

This is an awesome technology that really could revolutionize the world of battery charging. Just tonight I was fumbling around with a digital camera battery charging brick that wouldn't fit in the wall socket because of its orientation. Quite a gripe when people are dying and starving around the world but the ease of use this product has the potential to offer would be an incredible step in the sometimes murky waters of improving productivity. The future of the technology seems to hinge on the ability of eCoupled to get these large gadget makers to integrate the charging coils directly into their products. Easier said than done, but that's just the reason we all read these articles about what is coming next anyhow.

If you want to learn even more about the technology, see eCoupled's Technology Executive Summary (.pdf)