International Journal of Advanced Smart Convergence Vol.4 No.2 1-5 (2015) http://dx.doi.org/10.7236/IJASC.2015.4.2.1 A Brief Overview of Wireless Power Transfer Techniques Dinesh Baniya Kshatri*, Surendra Shrestha*, and Bhanu Shrestha** *Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Central Campus, Pulchowk, Tribhuvan University, Nepal **Department of Electronic Engineering, Kwangwoon University, 20 Kwangwoon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 139-701, Korea Email: dinesh@ioe.edu.np, surendra@ioe.edu.np, bnu@kw.ac.kr Abstract The necessity to distribute energy wirelessly has been spurred by the tremendous growth in the use of portable devices. Mobile devices have become ubiquitous and the circuits within them have been optimized to consume extremely low amounts of power. Such portable electronic sets are in constant use and the frequent need to recharge them; using conventional wired mechanisms have hindered the mobility of users. Wireless transmission of energy to power-up devices has been proposed since the days of Tesla and since then many theories and methods have been invented. This paper discusses some of those techniques briefly. Keywords: Cordless Electricity, Wireless Electricity, Wireless Energy, Wireless Power 1. Introduction The transmission of energy without cords with the intent of charging or supplying power to a remote electronic device has been underway since the time of Tesla. One of Tesla’s ambitious goals was to be able to demonstrate a system capable of worldwide distribution of wireless power [1]. The lack of funds together with the primitive technology caused the idea to be abandoned for many years since then. Interest in this field has resurfaced recently mainly due to the advent of mobile electronic devices that are constantly on the move and need to be frequently charged. A successful demonstration of wireless power transfer (WPT) was performed in 2007 by a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They were able to light a 60-Watt incandescent bulb located at a distance of two meters from the source without using wires [2]. The intent of wireless power transfer is to move electric charge stored in a reservoir to a distant location without the use of transmission cables. Such a system will increase the portability of light electronic devices and free users from the tedious task of transporting power cords. Since our society is already familiar with the concept of wireless communication provided by cellular phones and wireless local area networks, the obvious question to ask is what is preventing us from hauling energy wirelessly? IJASC 15-2-1 Manuscript Received: Sept. 5, 2015 / Revised: Sept. 30, 2015 / Accepted: Oct. 15, 2015 Corresponding Author: bnu@kw.ac.kr Tel: +82-2-940-5295, Fax: +82-2-940-5235 Department of Electronic Engineering, Kwangwoon University