­A team of researchers have developed a technology that can provide electronic devices with both a wireless LAN connection and a power supply through a single sheet of material.

The intention is that laptops and smartphones can be powered by the Wi-Fi signals that are connecting them to the internet.

Communications and power supplies from existing transmission sheets and couplers suffer from high leakage of electromagnetic waves as well as poor efficiency in power transmission.

Recent changes in the structure of both sheets and couplers, however, resulted in new electromagnetic wave control technologies that further suppress the leakage of electromagnetic waves. Moreover, new highly efficient transmission technologies also improve the efficiency of transmissions.

Tests of these new technologies with a prototype transmission sheet that is 60cm on all sides demonstrated high speed communications through a 5GHz wireless LAN and provided a power supply with transmission efficiency of more than 25% at more than 4W on a 2.4GHz band.

The simple placement of this newly developed transmission sheet on an office desk enables individuals to both access a cordless power supply for electronic devices, such as personal computers, and to realize safe power transmission without the interference of other wireless LAN.

The development came from the University of Tokyo, NEC, CellCross and the research group from Teijin.