Among the many options available for wireless charging technologies, Humavox has added another, which they call the Eterna platform. They are using RF technology within a closed container and this is good for small devices such as smart watches, connected glasses and hearing aids. They are calling their closed container the Nest and it connects with Radio Frequency to the company’s charger.
When you want to charge your device, simply put it into the box called the Nest Power Station. The box is a Faraday Cage and it is zapped with RF signals. The electronics built into the charging device receives the signals and converts them into DC energy.
Other technologies available in the market usually require a close contact between the device and the charging mat. The inductive coupling that these technologies use, works best when devices and their charging mats are in a very close contact. In contrast, it is not very important how you place devices in the charging box of the Nest Power Station. The wireless power transfer within the Nest is highly efficient and is accurately pointed towards the device under charge.
The box, being a Faraday Cage, confines the RF radiations to the insides and therefore, keeps the users safe. Humavox will be licensing this technology to OEMs or Original Equipment Manufacturers, who will be able to use it in a variety of ways in their products. Contrary to popular belief, the main driver for the wireless charging market is not the Smartphones, but a wide array of devices that are part of the Internet of Things. The present market for wireless charging is not taking off since there are three technologies competing with one another.
The Wireless Power Consortium, established in 2008, is the largest industry association with more than 125 members. It is working towards standardizing the wireless charging technology. The standard that WPC is working towards promoting is called Qi (pronounced chee). Some of the significant players in the industry are backing the alternative approaches. A proprietary approach is being pursued by the A4WP or Alliance for Wireless Power and Intel, while Broadcom, Samsung, Qualcomm and others are backing the alternative approach.
The Nest station in the Humavox technology is an RF- resonator for charging devices by putting them inside it. There are no placement or orientation restrictions. The Nest prototype is a white, plastic ball. Opening the ball reveals a small charging bowl. Charging time is about equal to that taken by a charging cord. That shows a charging efficiency of more than 90%, signifying only one-tenth the power is lost in the wireless transfer.
Using a box to charge a small device is an intuitive action for the user. Most users keep their small devices inside a box when retiring for the night or for a rest. The Nest makes it as simple as dropping the items into a box that doubles as a charger as well. There is no longer a need for wires, precise placements, a flat surface or a mat for placing devices for charging.
