Intel says devices such as laptops and phones could soon be powered by base stations built into household surfaces.

The spaghetti jumble next to the power socket may soon be unravelled for the last time thanks to a technology which enables power to be transmitted wirelessly.

Intel, the chip-maker, is working on a technology that would enable electronic devices such as PCs and mobile phones to be powered simply by placing them on a desk or table top.

The company said it had successfully used a magnetic field to transmit 60 watts of power a distance of two to three feet, and that it ultimately envisaged wireless chargers being built into household surfaces.

"Something like this technology could be embedded in tables and work surfaces," Justin Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer, told The New York Times, "so as soon as you put down an appropriately equipped device it would immediately begin drawing power."

Full story here