When we think of wireless charging, we think of wireless charging pads that supports either the Qi or PMA wireless charging standard. While it is technically wireless, it still requires users to place their devices on a dedicated charging pad to allow it to charge, meaning that your device still needs to sit in one place while it charges.
While there have been patents that suggest wireless charging using magnetic resonance, it has yet to be made a reality. In the meantime Haier and Energous have a different idea regarding wireless charging, which is to equip all your household electronics with wireless charging capabilities.
Haier, for those unfamiliar, is an electronics company from China that specializes in white goods. Energous on the other hand is a US-based company that created the WattUp wireless charging technology that transmits power to devices over the same radio bands used by WiFi routers.
The partnership between both companies will Energous’ WattUp technology embedded into Haier’s household appliances, although Haier has yet to confirm which products will be receiving the integration. It has been suggested that a fridge would be a good candidate. WattUp’s technology currently allows the transmission of 4W of power over a radius of 15-feet, but that could be extended through the use of multiple antennas.
Of course this will also depend on the mobile device in question having the necessary receivers, but Energous had previously announced that they would be working with mobile accessory manufacturers that will embed their technology into accessories, such as smartphone cases. So what do you guys think? Pretty good idea, huh?
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