In 1899, the inventor Nikola Tesla began performing the first successful experiments on wireless power transfer. His initial success led him to believe that one day power would be transmitted around the planet without the need for cables. It took over 100 years, but his dream of wire-free power transmission was eventually realized—though perhaps not by the methods he envisioned.

When creating phones and tablets, manufacturers are faced with the challenge of giving the device a long battery life, keeping it lightweight, and making charging as painless as possible. Wireless power, which makes recharging your phone as easy as putting it down, could be the solution to that last part. But how does it actually work? And, perhaps more importantly, how safe is it?

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Modern wireless power draws on the same principle that Tesla investigated over a century ago: induction. Electromagnetic induction—using an electromagnetic field to transfer power between two objects—forms the basis of all modern wireless charging, as well as things like contactless payment, cooktops, and wireless speakers.

Wizard: The Life and T... Seifer, Marc Best Price: $8.77 Buy New $10.91 (as of 11:55 UTC - Details) In a practical sense, the way induction works is simple: First, you feed power to a base unit or charging station that contains a “transmitter” coil. Electromagnetic field forms around the transmitter and when a second “receiver” coil comes near enough, the receiver coil interacts with the magnetic field to create an electric current. By putting the second coil inside another device, you can wirelessly transfer power from the base to the device.

Most induction chargers only operate over a short distance, however, and while physical contact between a device and its base unit isn’t necessary for induction to work, the fields generated lose so much power as the devices get farther away that it’s usually the only way to get the two coils close enough.

As for safety, there’s really nothing to worry about. The average induction charger creates a field no more dangerous than radio waves, and it isn’t strong enough to have any effect on the human body. If anything, plugging in and unplugging a cable is more dangerous because there’s a minute chance it could fray and shock you. By contrast, induction hardware can be safely encased in thick plastic and still work. This is why electric toothbrushes have long used induction to charge: The units can remain sealed and waterproof.

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