Wireless networking for laptops is commonplace, and mobile phones let people do all sorts of amazing things while on the move. But one stubborn cable remains: the power lead for recharging portable devices' batteries. New technologies now aim to cut this final cord.

Also in this Technology Quarterly report:

Rational consumer: Selfparking cars - Find a space, then click

Wireless charging: Adaptor die - Cutting the final cord

Carbon capture: Scrubbing the skies - A remedy for climate change?

Case history: The rhythm of life - A brief history of pacemakers

Video analysis: Computers that can see - The latest in machine vision

Crowd modelling: Mob rules - Simulating crowd behaviour

Brain scan: The internet's librarian - A profile of Brewster Kahle, archivist and idealist