WiPower Provides Wireless Transfer of Electrical Energy

WiPower has developed a method of electromagnetic induction for wireless transfer of electrical energy.

The Florida-based company is targeting OEMs to implement the technology into portable electronic devices including cell phones, PDAs and digital cameras. “Basically, we can support just about any portable electronic device out there all the way up to laptop computers,” says Ryan Tseng, CEO of WiPower.

The technology consists of a base station or charging pad, which creates a magnetic field and a receiver implanted in the charging device that converts the magnetic energy back into electricity. The pad can send approximately 100W of electricity to the locally placed device.

Concerns about the developing wireless power transfer technology include standardization and where competing methods stand. “I think in the long run it seems like standards might become important to the ultimate success of this technology, because consumer electronics companies walk the fine line between standardizations and distinguishing their products,” says Tseng.

The WiPower application is for short-range charging. MIT recently developed a system for long-range power transfer technologies. Other companies developing wireless power transfer include Splashpower, Powermat and Fulton Innovation.