“Marty Cooper, who built the first handheld cell phone, says his invention has a glaring flaw: You have to keep charging its battery,” David Goldman reports for CNNMoney. “‘Keeping your phone charger around is a real annoyance,’ Cooper told CNNMoney in an interview. ‘And I think it’s going to be an increasing problem.’ Ensuring that your phone doesn’t run out of juice is enough of a pain. But imagine the not-too-distant future when our bodies are covered with different connected devices — watches, glasses and clothing — all of which will need to be charged. ‘You won’t want to take all them off and plug them in,’ Cooper said. ‘That’s why they ought to be charging all the time.'”
“Cooper believes that the winning technology will come from Energous, which wants to charge your cell phone using radio frequencies. Cooper sits on Energous’ board,” Goldman reports. “Energous (WATT) will announce Monday morning that it has received FCC approval for its miniature transmitter, which can power specially equipped gadgets. The Miniature WattUp transmitter can power hearing aids, medical devices and other tiny wireless devices. There are limitations to the technology that the FCC approved: It only includes very small gadgets that have embedded chips that are compatible with Energous’ technology. And those gadgets need to be in direct contact with the Miniature WattUp transmitter. But it’s also a significant milestone.”
“FCC clearance is just one hurdle. Getting manufacturers to adopt and include the technology in their products is another big one. Energous has had some early success, but it’s a long way from being able to charge every mobile device you own,” Goldman reports. “Even if Energous can get its technology inside consumer gadgets, the transmitters that charge them will also need to be widely deployed for the technology to be useful.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: A tiny step on a long, complex journey.
SEE ALSO:
Apple possibly working with Energous on extended range wireless charging for future iPhones – February 5, 2016
Apple developing cutting-edge long-range wirelessly-charged iPhones and iPads – January 29, 2016
iPhone 7 and the potential for wireless charging – January 19, 2016
Apple will drop headphone jack to make the iPhone 7 super slim, source confirms; wireless charging and waterproof, too – January 7, 2016
Apple looks to patent inductive charging system that could power an Apple Pencil or even a future kitchen appliance – January 7, 2016
Apple files 5th wireless inductive charging patent application since Late September – November 5, 2015\
Apple patent application reveals iPhone inductive charging sans extra hardware – October 8, 2015
Patent application reveals Apple working on wireless charging systems focused on rapid power delivery – August 27, 2015
Apple invents inductive charging interfaces for mobile devices – April 2, 2015
Apple ‘iPhone 7’ models likely to offer wireless charging – April 2, 2015
It’s still a development company but I gambled on 200 shares a while ago. They’re doing well so far!
“Next Big Thing” is kinda funny when you realize that Nicolai Tesla invented this in 1898!
Because radio waves, magnetic fields, etc. will probably be very good indeed passing through the human body 24/7, giving us plenty of Vitamin RF.
Scientists are coming around to the belief that low levels of radiation are actually good for you:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/chernobyl-hints-radiation-may-be-less-dangerous-than-thought-a-1088744.html
Like smoking & hot fudge sundaes? 🙂
Read the article, dumb ass.
^^^ that was funny right there
The extreme dumb ass is you idiot. It was a glib reference to the Woody Allen film SLEEPER and if you had half a brain you’d know that and find it humorous instead of being a stone-faced clueless adolescent ignoramus.
if you look at the technology, they are using the same wavelength as WiFi, which is very reflectI’ve to the human body….no concerns on health
Let’s hope so. I was mostly kidding, which went right past the humorless dolt George.
Are these the same scientists who believe Fukushima radiation may be fine in our water?
With the passing of time, I am reminded more and more of Robert Heinlein’s Short Story “Waldo”, which gave us the name for those mechanical arms used to handle radioactive materials in labs.
I don’t see that charging a phone overnight is much of a problem. You get used to the routine and just do it without thinking. I need to sleep for a few hours every night and my iPhone fully recharges in a fraction of the time that I sleep.
RF charging might be attractive for some, but to me it comes across as solving a problem that isn’t there for most of us.
I don’t see any mention of the RF frequency used, but you can’t simply invent a new frequency. Virtually all the RF spectrum is allocated for something and RF charging is going to involve significant RF power levels. If consumers really want wireless charging, I think that the NFMR proposals that Apple has patented are a much more practical approach for devices drawing as much power as a smartphone. Their magnetic resonance system claims to have a range of about 1 metre, which is a sensible choice to balance convenience against efficiency.
Oh shut up. And cars solved a problem that wasn’t there for most people, correct? I mean, they had horses.
Please stay silent.
Make sure those ‘AMPLIFIED CANCER ACCELERATING RFI ‘ PLACES ARE WELL LABEL. I WILL AVOID THEM.
As far as low level radiation being good for us, exposure is key. Our modern world give us enough of those low level right now.
Marty Cooper, says:
“Keeping your phone charger around is a real annoyance”, not for me, I rarely ‘keep one around’ (‘cept by the bed at night), and it doesnt annoy me a bit.
“And I think it’s going to be an increasing problem”, not for me…I dont think it will be a problem at all.
“Ensuring that your phone doesn’t run out of juice is enough of a pain”, not for me, its not a pain at all, and it rarely runs out of juice.
I guess Marty Cooper must have been talking about himself.😊 Perhaps he has a “solution that is looking for a problem”. $$$
This is not as huge of a deal as Cooper would have people believe. And the efficiency of RF coupling/charging are relatively low. The WattUp technique uses multiple beams, as I recall seeing in a recent video, rather than omni broadcasting to improve efficiency. But that does not solve all of the issues, including interference, etc.
Much like the Segway, this is not the next big thing unless you are a mall cop.
The body is a delicate bioelectric system. We now live in a sea of electronic pollution.
People need to understand there is a cost for all this convenience. Hard to believe all these frequencies are helping our health.
Here’s a million dollar idea.. Create clothing/fabric that acts as a faraday cage for your head/body/feet. 😀
Nikola Tesla Lives! Wireless transmission of power.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Tesla_Broadcast_Tower_1904.jpeg
My solution is to carry around an independent battery pack. I very much enjoy my Lepow U-Stone, 12000mAh. It’s always there when my iOS devices need a charge. I charge the Lepow once a week at most. Higher than 12000mAh battery packs are now available. Anker currently has up to 26800mAh.
My solution is to plug-in my iPhone every time I get into my car. I rarely go below 50%.
Easy as can be! But I don’t dare leave my iOS gear in my car when I’m not there with it. I’ve had my car broken into by a local addict searching for something/anything to sell for a fix.
Everyone has to sleep, charge them then; no problem.
Why not embed rotors in iDevices to capture mechanical energy from body movement? The rotors could move magnets across electric coils to generate electricity that could be used to recharge batteries. It wouldn’t be the solution for every situation but it would be a great supplement to extend a battery’s charge. And it would be way cool.
“No harmful side effects – for years!”
Or those famous Dow Chemical ads seemingly forgiving very toxic substances along with the non-toxic:
“Without chemicals, life itself would be impossible.”
HAH!
In a world where most fast food places are removing their wall plugs so customers can’t charge their laptops and cell phones, how are they going to convince them to install this charging device?
That’s odd. In the UK I’m seeing more and more places offering charging points in places like cafes and bars these days.
I want to live in an environment where RF permeate and reverberate throughout my body, my home, from the cell tower, from satellites downward so that there are no areas left that are RF-free, no regions, no corners of the earth and no cell in my body that is not enveloped by ever stronger and more aggressive RF.
I hate to tell you this, but you already live there. You don’t need to have a single electronic component in your home to be bombarded with the full electromagnetic spectrum. We’ve been living in this world since radio was invented. And while some people may have an extreme sensitivity, most of us function just fine.
If any medical evidence can show exposure to RF radiation causes, say, autism or cancer, then it’ll be time to take action to protect ourselves. Until then, I say bring on wireless charging. I rely on my iPhone 5s, and as the phone is 2.5 years old, the battery is not as efficient as it was, and I am constantly charging up during the day at my desk and in my car…
The first mobile cellular mobile device was developed by Bell Labs in the late ’50s and it’s first public display was at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1963. That device was the Bell Boy paging receiver. Later, AT&T sold the rights to the technology to Motorola. Martin Cooper came along nearly 10 years later. How do I know this? Well, my father worked on the prototype Bell Boy and I have that device and its battery charger. I’ve been trying to donate it to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA, but as yet they have no interest in the history of cellular devices. Hope we don’t lose this branch of the history of mobile devices.