It has been roughly 10 years since the modern era of computing began and I mean it in terms of portability. Back then, portability was being touted as the next big thing in the computing landscape.
With the arrival of the smartphones, tablets, phablets and laptops, this objective of portability has been achieved. We can take our work, media, games, music and the entire web along with us wherever we go.
In the world of technology, there is never a state of stagnancy. We are always looking for the next big thing that will amaze us, make our lives even easier, more productive and find solutions to existing problems.
In the consumer electronics space, the biggest problem right now is of charging the enormous amounts of devices we own. And now, with the introduction of Internet of Things (IoT), the problem becomes bigger and one that needs a solution asap. That is exactly what some companies are working on with a solution in distance wireless charging.
1. Energous
Energous is numero uno on my list. This company has the most promising solution to our charging woes, in my opinion. Energous has come up with a technology they are calling WattUp which uses radio frequency (RF) to charge a device from up to 15 feet away from the transmitter.
Basically, the system is set up like this. There is a transmitter which is connected to a wall outlet and there are receivers that are small enough to be fitted into any devices (even smartwatches).
The transmitters transmit radio frequency in the range of 5.850 - 5.875 GHz which is just outside the 5 GHz that is becoming popular in wifi routers. The receivers inside the devices then convert these radio frequencies into power to charge the devices.
This technology has been demoed at CES this year and seems to work just fine. Energous has been rumoured time and again to work with Apple to integrate this technology in the next iPhones in 2017.
2. Ossia Cota
Ossia is a Washington based company that promises to charge your smartphone from 30 feet away. It has come up with a transmitter that is being called Cota, that works similarly to how WattUp works. It uses RF to send power wirelessly.
The Cota is a cylindrical shaped transmitter (or charger) that has hundreds of tiny beacons inside it that can transmit RF over 2.8 GHz band upto a radius of 30 feet.
A device that is fitted with the company’s proprietary transceiver can ‘request’ a charge by sending a small packet of information to the Cota charging stations. After that, an invisible path is created between the device and the charger through which power is transmitted wirelessly.
The company is already in talks with case manufacturers and has partnered with Japanese telecom provider KDDI to ensure that IoT can take full advantage of this technology.
3. Wi-Charge
A company founded in 2010, completely reimagines the charging game. Instead of using the electricity from the outlets to send power wirelessly, it has come up with a way to use light!
The light used here is infrared light beam and not the light coming out of your bulbs in your lamps (that would be cooler, I know, but sort of impossible too).
Basically the transmitter sends beams of infrared lights to a receiver, that is fitted inside an electronic device. The cool thing here is that the transmitter can actually be integrated into something elegant like a ceiling lamp. So, there are no unsightly transmitters to look at. Real invisibility, people!
Since the system uses infrared light, there won’t be any electromagnetism involved like with most other solutions (thought they are pretty harmless). Also, the working range is between 15 to 30 feet.
The biggest challenge here is that the devices need to be in direct line of sight to get charged meaning they won’t charge if they are in your pockets. Also, it will be at least 2 years before we see this come to life.
Conclusion
I think, that by 2020, wireless charging will be pretty common with many top smartphone companies looking to spice their offerings beyond just the usual faster specs. But it is just my own prediction.
As with any new technology, and one that is as revolutionary as this, unforeseen problems can occur at any time can push it further into the future.
But with large companies with huge cash pile now getting involved, this area of technology looks promising and is poised to be the next big thing in the technological landscape. The future is one without wires.