Most people frantically search for an outlet at least a few times per day, but what if a new innovation was available that could charge your electronics out of thin air…?
It sounds like science fiction, but it’s now reality.
Scientists claim to have recently found a way to top off your battery’s power and make it last up to 30% longer using nothing but thin air. Taking the shape of an IPhone 6 case, the technology transforms the microwave energy of radio frequencies into useable electricity.
This variation of technology is known as a rectenna, or a ‘rectifying antenna’. Other gadgets that are able to pull power out of the air near broadcast towers do already exist, but because they generate too little power to be of any use, it’s this recent innovation that is gaining momentous attention.
The rectenna case generates electricity by using the energy that is wasted by the phone when receiving and sending out radio frequently wireless signals. This includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the LTE signals for 4G connections.
Because about 90% of your phone’s power is spent transmitting waves to keep its wireless connection (even when you’re not using it), this case will help reduce energy waste and make your life a whole lot easier. Plus, it could potentially extend the life of your battery up to nearly a third.
This invention, created by Ohio State University, was licensed to Nikola Labs to build and sell, according to an announcement at the TechCrunch Disrupt Conference in New York.
Together, the groups plan on starting a Kickstarter campaign that will commercialize the device later this year. Their intent? To initially sell the ingenious gadget for $99.
Nikola Labs’ Will Zell explains in the video below how the phone case is able to turn radio waves into electricity:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRS84zoCpkw]
The company has not yet discerned whether using this ‘wasted’ energy would reduce the signal quality of the phone. They did state, however, that if all goes according to plan, it may diversify into using the technology for low-power mobile devices, including sensors and medical systems.
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