New system to "eliminate" batteries

I'm not sure if it was real, a hoax or simply fiction, but I vaguely recall a story about a person who created a huge metallic net to capture radio waves to power his entire farm. As that story went, it worked very well, but sapped the energy enough to cause a blackout of signal on the backside of his net.

Whether this was simply a tale, or an actual account, it still raises a question in my mind...if all batteries were replaced in this fashion, would it not drain the "waste" RF signals that it utilizes, and have an adverse effect on the purpose that they are designed for?

RFID is for the purpose of using a specific RF signal that is transmitted for specific purpose. From what I understand, this technology uses any RF signal within the "medium wave frequencies". Not sure what is included in that frequency range.

Well, I suspect the technology could make items like laptops cordless... that sort of thing, not sure it's going to be of high enough power to safely induct more than a few watts without any risk to human health...