Setting up a "future home environment" at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino during this year's Consumer Electronics Show, technology company Energous Corporation demoed its newest product WattUp, a Bluetooth and radio frequency-enabled transmitter that uses the same radio bands as a Wi-Fi router to deliver "intelligent, scalable power" to charge everything from smartphones and tablets to wireless keyboards and children's toys.
The patent and trademark-pending charging solution differs from most wireless charging technologies due to its lack of need for a pad or other near-field peripheral to communicate between the device needing charge and the device giving the charge. The company promises "meaningful, useful power" will be used to charge a device, not only providing the equivalent charge of a traditional wall outlet, but allowing ease-of-use in letting consumers roam up to 15 feet away from the transmitter.
"As a leading company in the development of true wire-free, uncoupled power with complete mobility, Energous is proud to be demonstrating our technology in model homes of the future. This event at CES 2015 marks a significant achievement for Energous and the industry in showing how wire-free charging can be deployed in everyday living environments.” said Stephen R. Rizzone, CEO of Energous Corporation. “We believe we are the only CES exhibitor to be demonstrating true wire-free charging technology that lets users roam while their devices charge.”
Energous promises WattUp will charge "in essence any battery-powered device in your home or office," but the device itself must require 10 watts or less to function with the transmitter. One WattUp transmitter can handle 12 receiver devices at any given time.
The company also detailed a mobile and web-based app that will be used to control the order and preference of charge by customers. Users can opt for manual control, only receiving charge to devices when they specifically call for it. Those needing a constant top-off can set prioritized schedules inside the app, causing heavily-used phones and tablets to receive charges once the user walks through the door, and less time-sensitive items like remote controls and keyboards to charge on their own during the day.
Energous says it will begin licensing WattUp to both wearable and smartphone accessory markets, hoping the future brings expansive partnerships with Wi-Fi routers and smartphones themselves.
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Top Rated Comments
Maybe there are some use cases to justify this kind of thing, I just don't see them yet. Is it really that difficult to plug in your phone/tablet?
A single cord you can take/find anywhere VS one specific place/area (which the transmitter still has a cord running to it) where you have to set it down in a specific way (with or without required accessories) or have to worry about your brain getting simultaneously microwaved (more than it is already by wi-fi, cell, and other high frequency waves).
I'll wait for the day when companies build wireless charging receivers into their devices directly.