That can be a real headache, so Korean researchers are developing a way to charge your phone just be being in a room equipped with a powerful, long range wireless charging system.

The team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) demonstrated the system that consists of two 10-foot long boxes backed with magnetic coils and ferrite rods. Using a technology called Dipole Coil Resonant System (DCRS), the prototype packs enough of a punch to charge 40 cellphones simultaneously, as well as larger devices like portable TVs and laptops. The technology is scalable, so a smaller version could be made for home use. DCRS is a development of technology developed at MIT several years ago called Coupled Magnetic Resonance System, although the Koreans say that the new version is more efficient and has a longer range.

Professor Chun T. Rim from KAIST says that his hope is that wireless charging will soon be as common as Wi-Fi hotspots, and that people will no longer need to worry about finding places to plug in during the day: you'd just have to loiter near one of the base stations, and your phone would pick up a charge. It would also fulfill a dream that electricity pioneer Nikola Tesla had over 120 years ago.