Wireless charging would be made easy in the future as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just approved the first wireless charger which can charge any wireless charging supported device within three feet range. Energous, a San Jose-based startup today announced that it received approval from FCC for its 'Power-at-a-Distance' wireless charging mechanism.
Energous says that the Power-at-a-Distance technology works with its WattUp Mid Field transmitter, which converts electricity into radio frequencies and then transmits the energy to a nearby supported wireless device using a corresponding receiver. That said, the wireless charging supported device should come with necessary hardware.
The current generation wireless chargers which can even deliver fast charging requires physical contact with the device, but that's not the case with Energous' upcoming wireless charging mechanism.
Furthermore, the WattUp Mid-Field Transmitter has the ability to charge multiple devices (actually any number of devices) at the same time. It can charge a mobile phone fitness tracker, Bluetooth speaker, earbuds, etc.
Energous released a video demonstrating this WattUp mechanism. If any wireless charging supported device goes below 100% charge and is within the range of WattUp, it will start charging that particular device. Sounds awesome, isn't it?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6INH8o6GLec]
The company also stated that the WattUp ecosystem is completely manufacturer-related, which means it just requires the WattUp transmitter. So, if you're using a Sony smartphone with the transmitter made by another manufacturer such as Samsung, it still charges the device.
Also, this entire setup can be controlled using an application. You can stop charging a particular device from the app, and start is charging again without any hassle.
Currently, Energous doesn't have any retail product, but the company may show off the new technology at the CES 2018 event in Las Vegas. Energous might start selling the product to the public in the second half of 2018.
