Marty Cooper, the inventor of the cell phone, may have the impression that the smartphone is definitely a mobile computing marvel, but he also believes that constantly charging your phone is going to be a problem, when he tells CNN the following:
“Carrying your phone charger everywhere is definitely annoying. And I think it’s going to be a growing problem.”
However, the inventor of the mobile phone believes that the future is not far off to the point where our bodies will be covered in different connected devices like watches, glasses and clothes, although you will still have to charge them. However, the best part is that you will not have to remove them to charge them, as he again tells CNN the following:
“You wouldn’t want to be taking them out and plugging them into chargers. That’s why they should be charging all the time.”
There are many companies trying to do just that, keep your wireless devices charged all the time, and each of them has a solution. Wi-Charge is thinking about lasers that will send signals from ceiling lights to cell phones, while U-Beam has invested in charging with sound waves. But what does Marty Cooper think? He thinks the market is going to be led by Energous, which wants to charge your phone using radio frequencies. Cooper is part of the team at that company.
However, Energous has an idea that actually sounds cool; by converting radio waves into battery power, wireless gadgets equipped with special receivers can literally pull energy out of the air, allowing them to charge while in your bag, pocket, or anywhere else. Energous will soon announce that it has received FCC approval for its tiny transmitter, which can power specially equipped gadgets. The WattUp transmitter can power hearing aids, medical devices, and other tiny wireless devices.
Unfortunately, there are limitations to the technology that the FCC has approved. It only involves very small devices that have a chip built into them that are compatible with Energous technology, and those gadgets must be in direct contact with the WattUp Miniature transmitter. Regardless, it's still an amazing milestone and will undoubtedly pave the way for bigger and better things to come.
