Duracell Powermat hands-on (video)

Back in September, as you may recall, Duracell struck a joint venture with Powermat, as part of an effort to "advance and globalize wireless charging." At CES this week, the two companies are putting the fruits of their partnership on full display, and we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at their latest inductive innovation. The basic idea behind the initiative is to bring wireless charging platforms to a variety of environs, including desk drawers, toy boxes and even sports arenas. In fact, Duracell Powermat are already planning to install their circular grommets (pictured above) at various locations across Madison Square Garden, allowing concertgoers and Knick fans to inductively charge their smartphones directly on a bartop. This system, however, isn't limited to the smartphone realm -- something Duracell Powermat was quick to point out, with a prototype desk drawer and toy chest, both of which are capable of wirelessly charging a wide range of devices. The companies have also developed software capable of monitoring the progress of a device's battery charge, which they displayed, in prototype form, on a tablet at their booth. Unfortunately, there's no sign that we can expect to see this technology appear in actual products anytime soon, but we were told to "stay tuned." In the meantime, check out the gallery below for some more images, and be sure to head past the break for our hands-on video.


Mat Smith contributed to this report.