This year’s Intel Developer Forum held in San Francisco ended with a fascinating vision of how the future of technology will erase boundaries between man and machine within the next four decades. Justin Ritter, Intel’s chief technology officer, said during his keynote that we’re in for big changes in the future, in the sense that we will see improvements in computer’s ability to sense the real world.

“The future has taken much greater strides than anyone ever imagined 40 years ago,” Rattner said, explaining that according to recent speculations, the rate of technology advancements increases at an exponential rate, and one day, machines could even overtake humans in their ability to reason.

But the element that drew the most attention in his keynote was the perspective of a world where we won’t need to use cables anymore: “Imagine being able to walk into an airport or room with your laptop and instead of consuming battery, it is recharged.”

The idea is based on a set of principles proposed by MIT physicists, which allowed Intel researchers to start working on a Wireless Resonant Energy Link (WREL). Rattner made his point by powering a 60-watt light bulb without using any wires, showcasing the possibilities that arise from such a technology.

The WREL technology promises to deliver wireless power in an efficient way, by relying on the use of resonators. Rattner explained that the principle is somewhat similar to that of a singer trying to shatter a glass just by using his/her voice. The receiving resonator absorbs energy, which would enable a laptop to recharge battery while in the range of a transmit resonator.

Although not many scientists believe in the future of this technology, Rattner said Intel is planning on finding a way to “cut the last cord” and introduce wireless power in Intel-based platforms.