In A perfect world, there’d be no wires. They get tangled behind desks and limit how far networks can reach. That’s why the telegraph gave way to the radio. Cell phones unstrung telecommunications. Wi-Fi freed computer data.

Now, even the power cord could be on its way out.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers announced on Thursday they had made a 60-watt light bulb glow by sending it energy wirelessly.

The breakthrough, disclosed in Science Express, an online publication of the journal Science, is being called “WiTricity” by the scientists.

The concept of sending power wirelessly isn’t new, but its wide-scale use has been dismissed as inefficient because electromagnetic energy generated by the charging device would radiate in all directions.

Last fall, though, MIT physics professor Marin Soljacic explained that the key is to get the charging device and a gadget to resonate at the same frequency, allowing them to efficiently exchange energy.

The MIT team put the concept into action. The scientists lit a 60-watt bulb that was 7 feet away from the power-generating appliance.

This raises the prospect that we may eliminate some of the clutter of cables in our ever-more electronic world. And if devices can get their power through the air, they might not need batteries and their attendant toxic chemicals.