INSIGHTS
->Powercast's TX91503 PowerSpot Transmitter is capable of sending microwatts of power to devices up to 80 feet away, though the devices must be stationary in a predefined location to receive the charge.
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->The Energous WattUp and Ossia Cota Transmitter both use an array of antennas to locate and beam power directly to devices at a range of 15 feet and two meters, respectively; the WattUp has already received FCC approval, and the Cota's approval is pending.
->The uBeam , which uses ultrasonic sound to charge devices within line of sight and in one direction up to ten feet away, has been the subject of controversy, with the company's former vice president of engineering stating that "the technology will never work."
uBeam . Below is a deep dive into our findings.
Includes lists of possible competitors. We also researched upcoming contenders in this sector on Crunchbase, a database of startups and venture capitalists. While this provided us with several other companies that are working on wireless power transmission, these were either not at the deployment stage, like PowerSphyr, or did not provide charging at a distance of a meter or more, like Chargifi. Having exhausted these possibilities, we are confident that the Scientific American article is still up-to-date on who the players in this sector are.
We next researched each company's offerings to see whether they qualified. This led us to setting aside WiTricity, as their solution involves a close-range recharging station that charges an electric car which is parked over it. While they say that the charging plate can be "buried in the pavement of a parking lot" and still function, there is nothing to indicate that it would charge a car from a meter away. This left us with four contenders, which are detailed as below.
POWERCAST
Powercast's TX91503 PowerSpot Transmitter, which according to Scientific American sends "microwatts or milliwatts (not enough to charge a phone)" to a device equipped with a receiver up to 80 feet away via the 915-MHz ISM band. However, the device must be stationary in a pre-defined spot. The device has received FCC approval, the first long-distance charging device to do so.
ENERGOUS
Energous produces the WattUp, "an RF-based scalable technology that enables both contact-based and over-the-air wireless charging for small electronic devices in an ecosystem that ensures interoperability." The transmitter uses Bluetooth technology and an array of antennas to locate the target's position in the room and charge it from up to 15 feet away. The software is able to determine when no device is in range and go idle to avoid wasting power. Energous received FCC approval in December 2017, the first such device to receive approval under Part 18 of the FCC's rules.
While the technology is still very much in its infancy, the PowerCast PowerSpot Transmitter, the Energous WattUp, Ossia's Cota Transmitter, and possibly the uBeam prove that wireless transmission of power is feasible over relatively short distances of up to 80 feet, albeit only at a very small wattage--indeed, at that distance, in amounts that measure in microwatts. Nevertheless, these early devices serve as proofs-of-concept for a technology that may well revolutionize how we keep our devices running in the coming decades.
Includes lists of possible competitors. We also researched upcoming contenders in this sector on Crunchbase, a database of startups and venture capitalists. While this provided us with several other companies that are working on wireless power transmission, these were either not at the deployment stage, like PowerSphyr, or did not provide charging at a distance of a meter or more, like Chargifi. Having exhausted these possibilities, we are confident that the Scientific American article is still up-to-date on who the players in this sector are. We next researched each company's offerings to see whether they qualified. This led us to setting aside WiTricity, as their solution involves a close-range recharging station that charges an electric car which is parked over it. While they say that the charging plate can be "buried in the pavement of a parking lot" and still function, there is nothing to indicate that it would charge a car from a meter away. This left us with four contenders, which are detailed as below.
POWERCAST
ENERGOUS
OSSIA
The Ossia Cota Transmitter works similarly to the WattUp in that it uses an array of antennas to pinpoint the devices which are to be charged. It then sends back a power stream to the device following the same path the device's signal took to the transmitter, potentially bouncing that stream off of walls and objects. The Cota can transmit 2 watts of power to a distance of two meters (twice the power other solutions offer at that range) on the 2.4GHz spectrum. Future models may use the 5.8GHz spectrum instead. As of June, the Cota Transmitter had passed key tests needed for FCC approval of the device, but while that approval is expected shortly, it has not been obtained yet.
UBEAM
Finally, there is the uBeam system, which takes the rather novel approach of transmitting power using ultrasound rather than RF. This has the advantage that there is no chance that the system will harm any human being even if they pass through the beam. The frequency is kept so high that it won't harm, confuse, or annoy animals in the vicinity either (such as the family dog). However, at present the system only charges devices in its "line of sight" and in one direction.
There is some controversy about whether transmitting power this way is actually feasible, with no less than uBeam's former vice president of engineering going on the record in 2017 that "the technology will never work." In response, uBeam founder Meredith Perry released a video purporting to demonstrate that the device works at a distance of up to 10 feet. Perry took a reporter to a nearby T-Mobile store just to buy a new Android phone to prove that the phone was receiving power and had not been tampered with. However, some skepticism remains.
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UBEAM
Finally, there is the uBeam system, which takes the rather novel approach of transmitting power using ultrasound rather than RF. This has the advantage that there is no chance that the system will harm any human being even if they pass through the beam. The frequency is kept so high that it won't harm, confuse, or annoy animals in the vicinity either (such as the family dog). However, at present the system only charges devices in its "line of sight" and in one direction.
There is some controversy about whether transmitting power this way is actually feasible, with no less than uBeam's former vice president of engineering going on the record in 2017 that "the technology will never work." In response, uBeam founder Meredith Perry released a video purporting to demonstrate that the device works at a distance of up to 10 feet. Perry took a reporter to a nearby T-Mobile store just to buy a new Android phone to prove that the phone was receiving power and had not been tampered with. However, some skepticism remains.
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While the technology is still very much in its infancy, the PowerCast PowerSpot Transmitter, the Energous WattUp, Ossia's Cota Transmitter, and possibly the uBeam prove that wireless transmission of power is feasible over relatively short distances of up to 80 feet, albeit only at a very small wattage--indeed, at that distance, in amounts that measure in microwatts. Nevertheless, these early devices serve as proofs-of-concept for a technology that may well revolutionize how we keep our devices running in the coming decades.