[CES] Wireless Charger Targets Wall-mounted TV

Jan 8, 2009 19:47 Tetsuo Nozawa, Nikkei Electronics

Powermat Ltd of Israel demonstrated its wireless charging system at the pre-event press conference for the 2009 International CES.

The company will release a non-contact charger that can be used for mobile phones, smartphones, portable game consoles and PCs in the near future. The price will be "about several tens of US dollars to around $100," Powermat said.

The wireless charging system features a power transmission efficiency as high as 93% and the ability to distinguish which devices to transmit power by combining magnetic coupling and RFID technology. Also, it assumes a range of applications including not only mobile phones but also wall-mounted TVs, lamps and speaker systems, according to Powermat.

Because of its high power transmission efficiency, the wireless charger can "charge devices even faster than chargers with wires," the company said. RFID technology is used to recognize adapters and avoid the risk of heating, for example, metals other than adapters by mistake. Moreover, the adapters have different specifications for each kind of devices so the charger can support supply voltage, current and polar character of each device.

'Electric Wall' co-developed with Shimizu

Powermat's CEO and Chairman Ran Poliakine said, "We have provided our technology to 'Denpeki Kaihatsu,' our joint venture with Shimizu Corp, to develop the 'Electric Wall,' a charging system embedded in a wall." Denpeki was derived from a Japanese word that means "electric (power) wall," he added.

The Electric Wall is intended to power wall-mounted TVs and lamps, for example. Powermat is proposing various ways of using wireless charging technology such as speakers equipped with an adapter and light-emitting wine glasses. If the Electric Wall is used as a table, users will no longer need to look for places to put devices on for charging.

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