In our first post we reviewed the history of wireless power and introduced the concept of Room-scale Wireless Power. Today we will showcase some real world deployments of Wi-Charge’s technology.
Each one of our deployments below is truly in the wild — public spaces or private homes. Each one faces the challenges and rigors of these environments — from varying temperatures, vibrations, and dust, to violent encounters with shopping carts. And each deployment is active for many months to more than a year with no significant maintenance.
What to Look at
First, a quick review of what we will be looking at.
The transmitter, usually installed up on the ceiling, beams power to the room. The Wi-Charge R1 transmitter can fit in the palm of your hand.
The receiver collects the energy beamed by the transmitter and delivers it to the smart device. It is embedded inside the device and is about half the size of your thumb.
And now, to the deployments.
Restaurants
In these two deployments in Michigan and Texas, Wi-Spot wirelessly powered displays are mounted on restaurant tables and above urinals.
The displays are not only wirelessly powered, but also have a Wi-Fi link to a Content Management System. The CMS sends out content such as highlights of menu items, promotions of private venue events, and loyalty club memberships.
Retail
In globe-spanning deployments in the United States, Germany, Brazil, Croatia and Malaysia, Wi-Spot displays are used for advertising at the point of purchase, where it matters most.
Transmitters are often mounted using the Track Light Charger — a mount that easily connects to already available track lights and even includes a battery to smooth over periods when the store lighting is turned off. Other transmitters use Power over Ethernet (PoE) cabling for a simple, low-voltage, installation.
Smart Door Locks
Smart door locks bring convenience and security, but these come at the cost of limited battery life and the fear of the battery running out at just the wrong time.
Thanks to the Alfred wirelessly powered smart lock, in the homes and facilities below that is no longer a problem.
Electric Toothbrush Chargers
Bathroom countertops tend to start cluttered, then become even more so thanks to cables charging electric toothbrushes, flossers or shavers.
What if there is no power socket nearby? Then you end up charging your toothbrush in the kitchen or bedroom — not a great user experience.
With wireless power in your bathroom, one battle against clutter is won.
With an understanding of where and how room-scale wireless power can be used, you are now ready for our next post. There, we will get technical and review the first key specification of a wireless power system.
