Never again carry a charger with you when you travel, where the whole world, whether it's an airport lounge in Tokyo, a coffee shop in New York City or a hotel in Stockholm, uses the same solution. Simply pick up your cell phone, your MP3 player, or your PDA, drop it on a pad, and it'll automatically charge! Just a dream?
Founded in June 2001 by two Cambridge U engineering students, Lily Cheng and James Hay,
Splashpower Ltd. is trying to make this dream of every gadget freak come true. Their solution:
Wireless power recharging.
The Splashpower technology comprises two parts:
1) the SplashModule power receiver: a sub-millimeter thin receiver module that can be customized to just about any size, shape or curve of a mobile device and makes no visible impact to product appearance.
2) the SplashPad charging base: a thin wireless charging platform the size of a mouse pad that plugs into any electric outlet and can be built into any surface (for instance cars, desks, airplane tables), with in-built protection from over-voltage.
Any device fitted with a SplashModule instantly begins to recharge through magnetic inductive power transfer when placed anywhere on the SplashPad. Multiple devices can be charged simultaneously on a single SplashPad.
The company has been promising the commercial launch of its technology for the past three years. A series of recently filed patents may indicate that Splashpower technology is finally ready to march:
Portable electrical or electronic devices for use in inductive power transfer systems (GB2399230)
Inductive power transfer system having areas with horizontal field (GB2399229)
A distributed primary inductive power transfer area with uniform coupling to one or more secondary power receiving devices (GB2399228)
Simultaneous inductive power transfer system to multiple devices (GB2399227)
Inductive power transfer system with moving field (GB2399226)
Inductive power transfer system having a horizontal magnetic field (GB2399225)
Electrical power transfer using inductive coupling (GB2398176)
Adapting portable electrical devices to receive power wirelessly (WO2004055654)
Improvements relating to contact-less power transfer (WO2004038888)
Improvements relating to automatically configuring rechargable devices (WO2004038887)
Improvements relating to retention of rechargable devices (WO2004030176)
Power transfer between devices (GB2392024)
Improvements relating to the transfer of electromagnetic power (WO03096361)
Contact-less power transfer (US2003210106)
Contactless power transfer area (GB2388716)
According to Slashpower, the company is already working hand in hand with mobile phone and portable device manufacturers and it expects to see the first mobile products incorporating Splashpower technology before the end of the year.
Perhaps it is just me, but I cannot wait to get rid of my hopelessly tangled collection of recharging cords that accumulates in my drawer
[image sources: patents, NewScientist]