By ALEX SILVERMAN
MyNorthwest.com

Using wires for electricity is just so -- 1800s.

The future sounds like science fiction: beaming electricity through thin air to planes, satellites, and even your laptop. But a Kent-based company has found a way to do just that.

LaserMotive, founded in 2006 by Tom Nugent, Jordin Kare, and Dave Bashford, is preparing to unveil the first commercially available power-beaming system that uses laser technology.

"We take electricity from a wall or from a generator, turn it into light, using high-powered laser diodes like the ones in your DVD recorder or your laser pointer but a little more powerful," Kare, an astrophysicist, said. The laser light is then shined on a specialized solar cell, which converts it back into electricity.

Nugent, the company's President and CEO, says NASA has been looking into this technology for years. "They have interest in it for things like exploring the moon," he said.

"We set as our first goal, to go after a NASA-sponsored power-beaming competition," Nugent said. Last year, LaserMotive won the $900,000 prize after successfully getting a robotic elevator to climb up a cable suspended from a helicopter.

The uses and implications are nearly endless. "The first one that makes sense from a business standpoint is powering unmanned aerial vehicles," said Nugent. With power beamed by lasers, the aircraft would be able to stay aloft indefinitely without heavy fuel tanks.

The technology could also be invaluable in disaster relief situations, like the relief efforts following the recent earthquake in Haiti, Nugent said. "Not only was power knocked out, but the roads were torn up, and it was difficult to get generators in." But with laser beaming technology, power could be delivered from ships stationed offshore.

And believe it or not, if you get in the way of the laser beam, you won't get fried. "We took the most intense version of our laser and tried cooking hot dogs with it," Kare said. "It does cook hot dogs, but it takes about 5 minutes. You might just feel a little warm if it hits you."

LaserMotive expects to produce its first commercial product, to power aerial vehicles, to go on sale next year.

"As for when it will be used to bring power down from satellites, or alternatively from recharging your laptop, that's probably a few years away," Kare said.

Follow Alex Silverman on twitter @alexsilverman

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