Definitely. Especially since in either case, you have to put the device in a predetermined place. > the emitter could be aimed at a wider charging surface, suc

Definitely. Especially since in either case, you have to put the device in a predetermined place. > the emitter could be aimed at a wider charging surface, such as a counter or tabletop, and charge a smartphone placed anywhere on that surface. And because in order to notice that the device is there, they have to also make it emit chirps > The researchers programmed the smartphone to signal its location by emitting high-frequency acoustic "chirps." These are inaudible to our ears, but sensitive enough for small microphones on the laser emitter to pick up. End result: a phone that chirps all the time (you can't hear it, but maybe your dog is annoyed or your security system is triggered), in order to let the charging system notice that it's sitting in a predetermined location, so that it can fire a laser at it, which needs safeguards to keep from hurting you. Also this method is apparently inefficient, given that they need a heatsink for the laser. How about no chirping, no lasers, and we just make plugs that are easy to use? (The old round barrel-style plug on my ancient flip phone was easy to plug in, even in the dark.)