Real Wireless Charging
Charging your mobile device is a pain, no matter whether it means carrying around a charger and search airports for AC outlets, or forgetting to plug it in before going to sleep, and while wireless chargers are become a bit more commonplace, you still have to remember to put the device on the charge pad. Hopefully, that all will change over the next few years as a ’new’ technology will make charging almost a thing of the past. No, not a perpetual motion generator, or an infinite life battery, but a way to make a whole room become a charger.
As we have mentioned in the past, Chinese appliance giant Haier (600690.CH) demonstrated a completely wireless TV at a show we attended a few years back, and while the product was never commercialized, we were quite intrigued with the concept, which is called magnetic resonance. This concept uses highly tuned magnetic coils as ‘transmitters’ and similar coils tuned to the same resonant frequency as receivers, and as such, can transmit power across open spaces. The concept is being adopted by a number of smartphone manufacturers, with Apple (AAPL) being rumored as one of the new participants. The technology, which was used to power the Haier demo years ago, could be placed in a room, making that room into a huge charger. Any device with a coil tuned to the transmitting frequency would receive power anywhere in the room.
A small private Watertown, Massachusetts firm, Witricity (pvt), has been championing the concept, particularly for charging hybrid and fully electric automobiles, but the obvious connection to mobile devices of any type have helped the company find a an interesting group of investors, including Haier, Foxconn (2354.TT)), Intel (INTC), and Toyota (7203.JP), aside from a number of venture firms. We expect the large scale adoption of the technology will have some challenges, particularly with those that are concerning that the ‘broadcasting’ of power in an unconfined space could cause problems similar to those alleged to be caused by smartphones, but power levels for standard devices are within safety standards that regulate all electro-magnetic devices including smartphones and wireless routers. Imagine being able to charge a number of mobile devices just by leaving them in a particular room for some time, not having wires connected to your TV, not having to replace pacemaker batteries, or charging your electric car just by putting it in the garage!
As we have mentioned in the past, Chinese appliance giant Haier (600690.CH) demonstrated a completely wireless TV at a show we attended a few years back, and while the product was never commercialized, we were quite intrigued with the concept, which is called magnetic resonance. This concept uses highly tuned magnetic coils as ‘transmitters’ and similar coils tuned to the same resonant frequency as receivers, and as such, can transmit power across open spaces. The concept is being adopted by a number of smartphone manufacturers, with Apple (AAPL) being rumored as one of the new participants. The technology, which was used to power the Haier demo years ago, could be placed in a room, making that room into a huge charger. Any device with a coil tuned to the transmitting frequency would receive power anywhere in the room.
A small private Watertown, Massachusetts firm, Witricity (pvt), has been championing the concept, particularly for charging hybrid and fully electric automobiles, but the obvious connection to mobile devices of any type have helped the company find a an interesting group of investors, including Haier, Foxconn (2354.TT)), Intel (INTC), and Toyota (7203.JP), aside from a number of venture firms. We expect the large scale adoption of the technology will have some challenges, particularly with those that are concerning that the ‘broadcasting’ of power in an unconfined space could cause problems similar to those alleged to be caused by smartphones, but power levels for standard devices are within safety standards that regulate all electro-magnetic devices including smartphones and wireless routers. Imagine being able to charge a number of mobile devices just by leaving them in a particular room for some time, not having wires connected to your TV, not having to replace pacemaker batteries, or charging your electric car just by putting it in the garage!
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