Thanks to a new discovery, current power cables and induction chargers may soon be obsolete. Researchers have succeeded in creating a magnetic field capable of wirelessly powering devices placed anywhere in a room.
Electrical devices that work without cables and batteries have always been science fiction. However, this could quickly become a reality thanks to researchers from Michigan University in the United States and the University of Tokyo in Japan. In an article published in Nature Electronics, they present their system to allow charging or powering a device anywhere in a room, fully wireless.
The system works thanks to a magnetic field, and each device must have a coil to receive the current. The researchers equipped a nine-square-meter room with capacitors localized. These generate several magnetic fields in three dimensions, while limiting theemission from electric fields harmful. One of the magnetic fields revolves around the central axis of the room, while the second is directed towards the corners in order to transmit the power everywhere in the room.
A cordless system that can be adapted to a toolbox or shed
The researchers also plan to adapt their system to different scales, such as sheds or houses for power smartphones, laptop or even robots. They could also fit it into smaller spaces, like a toolbox that can load whatever is inside.
The first tests showed that it was possible to receive a power of 50 watts, with an efficiency of 37.1%, anywhere in the room, without exceeding the threshold of exposure to electromagnetic fields established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States. The researchers believe, however, that it will be possible to improve the system to transmit higher power.
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