Finnish researchers are advancing airborne electricity transmission systems, connecting an idea from the past to practical applications that could shape the future of energy.
For over a century, the idea of transmitting electricity through the air was considered almost fictional. Nikola Tesla, at the end of the 19th century, believed that it would be possible to send energy without cables or wires, and even demonstrated lamps burning without a physical connection.
Today, in Finland, that old dream is returning to the center of technological research - but with a fundamental difference. Instead of promising free energy to everyone, researchers are focused on real and specific solutions: wireless energy transmission systems capable of powering industrial sensors, electronic devices, and low-power equipment through controlled electromagnetic fields.
The technique used by these groups involves resonant electromagnetic coupling, an approach that allows a transmitter to create an electromagnetic field that a tuned receiver captures and converts into usable electricity. While this is still in the proof-of-concept stage in laboratory environments, the implications for the future of energy infrastructures are vast.
It should be noted that this type of technology does not replace, for now, traditional electrical grids, nor does it allow homes or cities to be powered without cables. Instead, the focus is on practical and specific applications where cables represent a significant cost or limitation, such as sensors in remote locations or implantable medical devices.
This movement reflects a broader pattern in technology: the reinvention of old concepts with modern tools. In 2026, Finland's experience shows that the future of energy can be born not from radical revolutions, but from incremental advances with profound implications.
