Wireless charging system on cusp of commercialization - The Seattle Times
PHILADELPHIA — Imagine a world where you don’t have to plug in your smartphone, tablet or laptop, or even lay it on one of the Duracell charging mats that Starbucks is rolling out nationwide. Instead, your refrigerator sends the device power from across the room via a WiFi-like radio signal. Energous, a Silicon Valley startup, won awards at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show for its WattUp system of “wire-free charging of multiple devices at up to 15 feet. But a different kind of wireless charging at a distance, less likely to stir safety concerns and face regulatory friction, finally seems on the cusp of commercialization. It has, however, been quietly pursuing a wire-free concept described eight years ago by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has announced partnerships with major manufacturers such as Toyota and Intel. WiTricity says its technology, which does not rely on radio waves to transmit power, has been shown to transfer electricity with little loss to a device nearly a foot away, even through solid materials such as a garage floor or kitchen countertop. Wireless charging is one of those technologies that always seems to be on the horizon. Nearly three years ago, a former chief executive predicted that WiTricity’s system would be in consumer products by the end of 2012. That didn’t happen, though the company did offer product developers an iPhone 5 charging system last year. Source: www.seattletimes.com
