Nikola Tesla may have introduced the idea of wireless power in the late 1800s through inductive coupling, but it’s only now being perfected. Fulton Innovation says its eCoupled technology builds on the work of late 19th-century scientists such as Tesla and Michael Faraday to make wireless power a commercially viable reality. Although eCoupled made a significant impression at January’s CES with the debut of its technology, Fulton isn’t the only company working on inductive coupling and wireless power. And eCoupled isn’t the first time Fulton’s parent company, Alticor, has used wireless power.
Alticor
Technically, eCoupled received its start with Alticor’s eSpring water purification system. With eSpring, designers placed a UV electrical light in the middle of an eSpring cylinder to purify water by destroying microorganisms. However, having an electrical device inside a cylinder filled with water caused reliability problems with the electrical connector port. Designers needed to seal the light to prevent problems with water penetrating the light’s circuitry through the port, but they also needed a way to deliver power to the light. Inductive coupling technology provided the answer. After using inductive coupling for eSpring, Fulton engineers decided to begin work expanding the technology for eCoupled.
Apple
In a mid-February patent application for a wireless docking station for multiple Apple handheld devices, Apple mentioned that the station will use inductive coupling to charge the devices. At the time of this writing, Apple hadn’t officially announced any details regarding the docking station, so it’s not clear whether another company is providing the technology or whether Apple has developed this wireless charging technology itself.
Edison Electric
Edison is developing a PowerDesk wireless power device that will let a user place devices on a base pad for charging. To use the PowerDesk, devices need a special battery pack or power receiver. Edison has already announced plans for a series of rechargeable flashlights that will work with PowerDesk.
MobileWise
MobileWise initially announced plans to deliver wireless power to portable devices in 2002, but the company no longer exists. For MobileWise technology to work, manufacturers would have to insert a chip inside a mobile device and a second chip inside the power base. Placing the devices fitted with the chip on the base’s surface would charge them. Many of MobileWise’s technologies ended up with WildCharge.
Powercast
Powercast has designed its “trickle-charging” technology specifically for small devices such as cell phones. The technology uses RF to transmit low signals over a short distance. Manufacturers would need to construct handheld devices with a Powercast receiving device, which is about the size of a fingernail. The Powercast device would convert these RF signals into power. Trickle-charging would let a user place the RF transmitter almost anywhere. In addition to handheld devices, Powercast says its technology would work very well with wireless keyboards and mice.
Splashpower
This UK-based company initially announced plans for wireless power products in 2002, but Splashpower’s products have not yet appeared on the market. Similarly to the other wireless power products using inductive coupling, the Splashpower products would include a charging pad (SplashPad) that plugs into an outlet and handheld mobile devices that include Splashpower capabilities.
WildCharge
WildCharge demonstrated its wireless power products at CES 2007. The company’s WildCharger product is a metallic pad that measures only 0.1-inch thick and plugs into an outlet. A user places his device coupled with a WildCharger adapter on the charging pad. Manufacturers also could build WildCharger support into a product. WildCharger delivers up to 90 watts of power, while a second product, the WildCharger-Mini, delivers up to 15 watts.
