Powermat Cuts the Cord

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Surface Transformation

But the plans go much further than the mat-and-puck approach. The same technology inside the mat could be embedded into any flat surface. For instance, the long tables in conference rooms with electrical outlets wedged into them would instead have surfaces that power all the laptops and charge all the cell phones and BlackBerry pagers needed in the meeting. Kitchen countertops could power blenders and food processors and bread makers. Bathroom counters could charge razors and power lighting.

Walls could be transformed, too. "You'd finally be able to hang your flat-screen TV where you want it, and not have to worry about it being close enough to a socket," Poliakine says. Lighting fixtures could be powered easily from just about anywhere. Powered toys could be recharged every time they're put away in a toy box. "This is the kind of day-to-day change we have in mind that will affect how you decorate and furnish your home without having to give so much consideration to where the outlets are and where the wires will go," he says.

In the same way that the mat would be integrated into flat surfaces everywhere, so would the puck. All the parts of the puck could be easily integrated into pretty much any electrical device. And while electronics manufacturers aren't usually keen on adding components that will increase manufacturing costs, Poliakine likens his approach to that of adding Wi-Fi wireless networking to notebook computers. "There was a time that you had to buy a Wi-Fi card and add it to your computer yourself," he says. "But once there was demand and the manufacturers saw a benefit, they starting building it into nearly every notebook."

Finding Partners

Powermat plans to demonstrate the technology later this year with some partners he declined to identify. The mat-and-puck package will be available at retail stores this fall, and the company is in discussions with a hotel chain and coffee chain to place the mats on desks in hotel rooms and coffee shops. Recharging a notebook could easily complement the Wi-Fi service available at Starbucks (SBUX). From there, Poliakine says, Powermat will turn its attention toward home-furnishing manufacturers like Steelcase (SCS) and retailers such as Ikea. The company will also try to sell the concept to electronics manufacturers as varied as cell-phone makers Motorola (MOT) and Research In Motion (RIMM) and computer manufacturers such as Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), and Apple (APPL).

The challenge is getting manufacturers to sign on to a new technology before consumers clamor for it. "It's like trying to convince cell-phone makers to enable technology that lets people pay for things with their cell phones," says analyst Charles Golvin of Forrester Research (FORR). "Sure it would be convenient, but people aren't demanding it. And they aren't demanding it because it hasn't been enabled yet."

But the impetus to eliminate wires of every kind is well under way. Wi-Fi has eliminated the need for many Ethernet cables in homes and offices, and Bluetooth technology connects headsets to cell phones without wires. Newer technologies like Ultra-Wideband may in time eliminate the need for other connecting cables like the USB cable that connects hard drives and music players to personal computers. As consumers and businesses get used to doing away with wires and cables, Powermat's surfaces may prove pleasing even to discriminating homemakers like Stewart.

Hesseldahl is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com.