Wireless Power May Cut the Cord for Plug-In Devices, Including Cars. A mobile phone that charges in your pocket, a flat-screen TV that needs no power cord, a car fueled by a cordless panel in the floor: In a nondescript building just outside Boston, these and other applications of wireless electricity signal a future with fewer snaking cables.
WiTricity, a company spun off from research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), aims to redefine how people use energy, making it possible to power devices without ever plugging them into an outlet. In WiTricity's lab, various devices run on power transmitted via electric coils through the air. Plugged In, Virtually "It is not hard to imagine that in the next few years, you go to a coffee shop, sit down in a chair, sign into a power zone, and charge your phone or laptop," said Richard Martin, editorial director for Pike, a market research group that focuses on smart-energy solutions. "We predict this technology taking off in a similar fashion to how Wi-Fi got its start a decade or so ago. " Wireless power startup WiTricity will start selling a $1000 demo kit. By Scott Kirsner, Globe Columnist WiTricity CEO Eric Giler will announce at a conference in Shanghai later today that his startup will soon start selling a $1000 kit that demonstrates how electricity can be sent wirelessly over a distance of a foot or more, even through a brick wall or wood tabletop.
The kit, called Prodigy, shows how a WiTricity-designed base station can transmit about a watt of power omni-directionally, lighting up one or two plastic disks that contain an array of LEDs. (A video demo is below.) WiTricity uses magnetic fields oscillating at a particular frequency to transfer power efficiently over short distances. The approach was first demonstrated at MIT in 2007. "We get thousands of inquiries about potential applications of the technology, where people have ideas and they want to get their hands on our stuff," says David Schatz, right, director of business development and marketing at WiTricity. Prodigy One to Many. WiTricity Granted Fundamental Patents in Japan and South Korea. Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Announces a WiTricity™ Demonstration System Featuring High Frequency Gallium Nitride (eGaN®) FETs.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.
--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) today announced a high efficiency wireless power demonstration system utilizing the high frequency switching capability of gallium nitride transistors. eGaN FETs from EPC are an ideal solution for these systems because of their ability to operate efficiently at high frequency, voltage, and power. Highly resonant wireless power transfer was invented by the founders of WiTricity, and WiTricity licenses its intellectual property to companies seeking to build products based on this exciting new technology. Capable of transferring power over distance, WiTricity technology enables a wide range of consumer, medical, industrial and automotive applications. Products using highly resonant wireless power transfer can meet stringent regulatory guidelines, and is safe for people and animals. Additional application and design information for EPC eGaN FETs is available through the following resources:
WiTricity Takes Its Car-Charging Technology Out for a Road Test. Gov. Patrick Sees the Bright Future for Technology Developed by Watertown's WiTricity. The wireless charging technology developed by the company on Grove Street has a range of possible uses from cell phones to electric cars.
Imagine charging your cell phone just by putting it on your hallway table or having lamps you can put anywhere in the room because they don’t have a wire, or even an electrical car that can be charged without plugging in into a special charging station. Gov. Deval Patrick saw these and other prototypes developed by Watertown-based WiTricity Corp. Tuesday afternoon. He visited WiTricity as part of his effort to learn about and highlight innovative companies in Massachusetts. “Wow! Uses of Wireless Charging The WiTricity technology uses coils of wire to transmit electricity wirelessly to batteries when they within a certain distance of the coils.
The company has a side table with coils underneath to use as a demonstration. “Imagine, coming home and throwing a bag there and it’s charging,” Giler said. Electric Cars State Sen. Audi Working on Wireless Charging for EVs Using WiTricity Technology.