Wireless Charging: An Old Invention That Could Shape the Modern World
If you are a smartphone user, you may have heard of the recent phenomena of wireless charging. You just put your phone down on a pad, and the phone charges itself. You don’t have to haggle around for a cable and try to blindly attach your phone to a charger. The technology is everywhere, including phone stands, furniture, and a premium add-on feature in most modern cars. But it still begs the question, how is the power going from the source to your phone? We know Arthur C. Clarke said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” But is it really magic?
The theory and primitive technology behind wireless charging was developed by Nikola Tesla in the late 19th Century. Tesla wanted to be able to transmit energy and information without the hassle of wires. His experiments led him to the creation of the Tesla coil. Although Tesla’s experiments failed, and his idea for a World Wireless system did not come to fruition, the theory developed from it lived on, and modified versions of his Tesla coils exist in modern day radios and televisions.
The theory behind wireless energy transmission is based on magnetic fields. An alternating current (AC) signal is passed to a coil of wire. This generates a magnetic field surrounding the entire coil. This can be considered the transmitting coil. If another coil, deemed the receiving coil, is placed within range of the transmitting coil, the generated magnetic field can induce a current in the coil and with some additional circuitry, the AC signal can be converted into a direct current (DC) signal. From there, the DC current can be used to power any modern day device. If additional receiving circuits are placed, the range of transmission can be increased to cover a greater distance (Xenia, 2020). However, this was just Tesla's theory, and it had some merit. What is missing from the theory is the engineering details that currently allow this technology to be applied to mobile phones and wireless charging pads today. Both metal coils, the inducing and receiving ones, must resonate their magnetic field at the same frequency in order for the current to be effectively transferred from inducing coil to receiving coil. Another factor that is considered when constructing these wireless charging devices is coil size. The larger the coil size, the greater distance powered can be transferred (Mearian, 2020).
Of course, with relatively advanced technology and materials present, modern-day scientists know that Tesla’s theories were ahead of his time and would not have survived very long for two key reasons. The first being that Tesla believed that he could have used the Earth as a medium to transfer energy, a popular belief at the time, which was incorrect. The second reason was that J.P Morgan pulled his support and funding from the project, preventing any further progress in Tesla’s research. And so it is fitting that, in today’s modern era, society is once again investigating the applications of wireless charging and incorporating it into everyday technology. There are several applications of wireless charging that are available to the everyday consumer. There is the wireless charging pad. Once you place your phone down on the pad, it will continue to charge without you having to do anything else. Similar to pads, there are wireless charging mounts for cell phones in cars. These provide the benefit of holding the phone in a safe manner for the driver to interact with, say for using the navigation system, while charging the phone as well. As great as these applications are, there is still the issue that they are not “fully wireless”. The user still must connect the wireless pad or mount to a USB port or outlet nearby.
However, in the auto industry, manufacturers are making headway towards a solution to this problem by integrating the charging pad design directly into the car itself. Qi Wireless Charging is the platform that current car manufacturers use to provide wireless charging to consumers. Manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Ford, Chevy, Jeep, Honda, Lexus, and Mercedes all offer Qi Wireless Charging as an available feature in their cars. In order to remove the wires and phone mounts, the charging platform is integrated into the center console of the car, near the infotainment system or center arm rest between the passenger and driver. The unfortunate problem is that this charging platform is only compatible with Android devices. If the consumer owns an Apple device, they must purchase an Aircharge iPhone Case to use this feature in the car (Aircharge). Mobile devices aside, a new faction has established itself in the automotive industry these past few years when it comes to wireless charging: electric cars. Currently, the research and development of wireless charging in cars is very young and still not available for consumers. Qualcomm was currently the only major name in wireless charging for cars until, in 2019, they sold their patent to WiTricity (Nash, 2020). As battery technology continues to develop and advance, it is very possible that consumers may begin to see wireless charging technology spread to electric cars as electric cars become an increasingly popular choice of car.
To avoid the same issue presented with the wireless pad for home use that was mentioned earlier, furniture companies have also begun to explore the realm of advanced furniture. Although there isn’t as big of a push in the home supplies and furniture industry to revolutionize how they integrate wireless charging, some brave, unique brands gave it their best attempt. Brands such as RIGGAD and Selje, sold mainly at IKEA, have released lamps and tables that can also charge your phone (Post, 2018). Of course, these pieces of furniture must still be plugged into an outlet, though the need for wires for both phone chargers and charging pads is removed, thus improving the overall aesthetic. These are just two of many companies now venturing out into the market for advanced home furniture, and it will be interesting to see where the future of the wireless charging home furniture goes.
Looking ahead into the future, it is fair to say that within the next five to ten years, wireless charging will slowly change our lives. From our furniture, to our cars, to even our everyday devices like our phones, we will begin to see more and more of this technology. As exciting as it will be to lose the clutter of wires on the bedside table, it will be important that other tangential considerations are made. Wireless charging devices are not extremely efficient, and that must change before large scale applications. Another consideration is the pull on the electrical grid. If wireless charging is added, and it becomes more widely available for cars and other devices, the strain on our electrical infrastructure will increase. This will demand upgrades to modernize our out of date electrical systems. Overall, the growth in this sector of technology is promising and can hopefully allow for us to untangle our lives from all the charging cords laying around.
Work Cited:
Aircharge. “ENABLING IPHONE USERS TO BENEFIT FROM IN-CAR WIRELESS CHARGING.” Aircharge, www.air-charge.com/aircharge-for-business/automotive.
Mearian, Lucas. “Wireless Charging Explained: What Is It and How Does It Work?” Computerworld, Computerworld, 28 Mar. 2018, www.computerworld.com/article/3235176/wireless-charging-explained-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work.html.
Nash, Orson. “Qualcomm Sells Wireless Charging Patents to WiTricity.” Qi Wireless Charging, 18 Feb. 2019, www.qiwireless.com/qualcomm-sells-wireless-charging-patents-to-witricity/.
Post. “10 Pieces of Furniture with Built in Wireless Charging for IPhone X.” ITALIANBARK, 1 June 2018, www.italianbark.com/10-pieces-of-furniture-with-built-in-wireless-charging-for-iphone-x/.
Xenia. “Nikola Tesla and His Work in Wireless Energy and Power Transfer.” Contemporary Sci Innovation, 19 Feb. 2016, sites.suffolk.edu/xenia/2016/02/17/nikola-tesla-and-his-work-in-wireless-energy-and-power-transfer/.
