'Wireless charging', as it appear sin
phones such as Samsung's Galaxy S6 is a
bit crap – you still need to leave your
phone on a special pad.
But a new system designed by University of
Washington researchers could finally deliver truly
wireless charging – using Wi-Fi. The team's
'power over Wi-Fi' system can recharge batteries
over a Wi-Fi network, with a range of up to 28
feet.
There's two parts – an access point (AKA a
router) and a sensor which sits on your phone or
other electronics, and converts radio power into
DC current. The new system means your Wi-Fi
network still works, too – and it already works,
although it's not clear when a working system
will reach the market.
'If we wanted to just blast as much power as we
possibly can, that would kill your Wi-Fi, because
you'd have power on the channel all the time,'
says researcher Bryce Kellogg.