There are a ton of companies showing off wireless power solutions this year, with PowerMat possibly getting the most hype. While I haven’t run into the PowerMat folks yet, I did stop by the Fulton Innovation and Leggett & Platt booths at Digital Experience last night. Fulton is behind something called eCoupled technology. The technology uses inductive coupling to power devices by surface-to-surface touch. The catch? The devices have to have the right outer surface to power up on eCoupled-enabled charging products. While some of the big manufacturers are getting on board, don’t expect all of the gadgets in your gadget bag to charge wirelessly any time soon. My guess is that a decent after-market business will spring up (it exists in early form already) letting you add surface skins that support eCoupled charging.
In the meantime, companies like Leggett & Platt are creating cool new products at the front wave of the wireless power trend. Check out pics of the car console above and below. The company sees a construction application for the car hardware, letting workers charge their tools between site jobs. Huh. I have to admit, that’s not the first application I thought of. I want wireless power for my laptop, camera, Flip, Zoom, Slacker, phone, etc., etc., etc.
Also in the gallery below – an eCoupled-enabled wooden tray. Tray chic.
Man, I have been waiting for EMI for about seven years now, lots of companies have come and gone, nobody has cracked he nut yet. I think that until there is a very small membrane like piece to be inserted into existing devices, between the battery and the connectors, then there will not be mainstream uptake. I am not too crazy about having the carry around a whole bunch of adaptors just to have a wireless power solution.
Ask the manufacturers to please publish all their research data to assure me that it doesn’t cause cancer.