Goodbye to the charger? .. An innovation that provides electricity over the air to any phone without the need for plugs and cables
Constitution - Scientists have developed a wireless charging chamber that can deliver power over the air to any laptop, tablet, or phone without the need for plugs or cables.
The new technology involves generating magnetic fields over longer distances without producing electric fields that would be harmful to any person or animal inside the room, according to a team from the University of Tokyo.
The study authors explained that the system can provide up to 50 watts of power without exceeding current guidelines for human exposure to magnetic fields.
It can be used to charge any device with a wire coil installed inside, similar to the system used with current wireless charging pads - but without the plate.
In addition to removing bundles of charging cables from desks, the team says it could allow more devices to be fully automated without the need for outlets, plugs or cables.
The current system includes a pole in the center of the room to allow magnetic fields to reach every corner, the team said, but it will work without it, the compromise being the "dead spots" where wireless charging is not possible.
The researchers did not mention the cost that the technology might entail, as it is still under development. When available, they can be modified to an existing building or integrated into an entirely new building, with or without a central connecting column.
Other uses include a smaller version for running tools inside a box, or a larger version that could allow an entire plant to operate without cables.
"This really increases the power of the ubiquitous computing world - you can put a computer into anything without having to worry about charging or plugging in," said study co-author Alanson Sample, from the University of Michigan.
There are also clinical applications, according to Sample, who said that heart implants currently require a wire from the pump to pass through the body and into the cavity.
"This can eliminate that," he said, adding that it will reduce the risk of infection by removing the wire completely, and "reduce the risk of infection and improve the quality of life for patients."
To demonstrate the new system, they installed their unique wireless charging infrastructure in a custom-made 10-by-10-foot aluminum "test chamber."
They then used it to power current-drawing lights, fans, and mobile phones from anywhere in the room, no matter where furniture or people were placed.
The system is a significant improvement over previous attempts at wireless charging, which used harmful microwave radiation or required devices to be placed on dedicated charging pads, the researchers said.
Instead, it uses a conductive surface on the walls of a room and a conductive electrode to generate magnetic fields, which devices can tap into when they need power.
The devices harness the magnetic field with coils of wire, which can be integrated into electronics such as cell phones.
The researchers say the system could easily be scaled up to larger structures such as factories or warehouses while still meeting current safety guidelines for electromagnetic field exposure set by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Something like this would be easier to implement in new construction, but I think retrofits would also be possible, said Takuya Sasatani, a researcher at the University of Tokyo and corresponding author of the study. Some commercial buildings, for example, already have support columns. Metallic, conductive surface spraying should be available on the walls.
The key to making the system work, Sample said, is to build a resonant structure that can deliver a room-sized magnetic field while blocking harmful electric fields, which can heat biological tissues.
The team's solution used devices called pooled capacitors, which operate on a pooled capacitance model - thermal systems are reduced to separate blocks.
The difference in temperature within each block is negligible and is already widely used in climate control systems for buildings.
When placed in wall recesses, the capacitors generate a magnetic field that resonates across the room, while the electric fields trapped within the capacitors themselves.
This overcomes the limitations of previous wireless power systems, which were limited to either delivering large amounts of energy over a distance as small as a few millimeters, or very small amounts of energy over long distances which would be harmful to humans.
The team also had to design a way to make sure the magnetic fields reached every corner of the room, eliminating any "dead spots" where charging might not work.
Magnetic fields tend to travel in circular patterns, creating dead spots in a square room, making it difficult to align precisely with the wire coils in the device.
"Pulling force on the air with a file, it's a lot like catching butterflies with a net," said Sample, adding that the trick is to have as many butterflies as possible circling the room in as many directions as possible.
By having multiple butterflies, or in this case several magnetic fields interacting, it doesn't matter where the net is, or which way it's oriented - it will get there.
To achieve this, the system generates two separate 3D magnetic fields.
One moves in a circle around the central pole of the room, while the other rotates around the corners, moving between adjacent walls.
This approach removes dead spots, enabling the devices to extract energy from anywhere in space, according to Sample.
Tests using anatomical dummies have shown that the system can deliver at least 50 watts of power to any location in a room without exceeding FCC guidelines for exposure to electromagnetic energy.
The researchers note that implementing the system in commercial or residential settings is likely to take years.
They are currently testing the system in a building on the University of Michigan campus to see if it can be modified to fit an existing building.
The results have been published in the journal Nature Electronics.
Source: Daily Mail
