Did you know that 83% of Americans say they rarely, if ever, turn their smartphones off? In a world where our devices are constantly on, charging technology has struggled to keep up with our usage demands.
However, that’s starting to change with wireless charging. If you want to learn more about the current state of wireless charging technology, you’re in the right place.
In this article, we’ll be discussing the current state of trends, as well as what you can expect from the future of wireless charging. Let’s get started!
Types of Wireless Charging Technology?
Almost all current types of wireless charging are based on one principle known as magnetic resonance (or MR). Magnetic resonance, also known as inductive power transfer, is the process of transferring electric energy through electromagnetic induction.
Basically, an induction coil is used to generate an electromagnetic field. This alternating field creates energy which the coil then moves back using wireless power transfer.
While this is how the electric power is created, different wireless charges use different methods of getting this energy into a device or machine.
In this section, we’ll discuss the three popular methods that are currently used: radio, inductive, and resonance charging.
Radio Charging
Radio charging is best used for small devices that use very little power. This makes it great for things like:
- Wireless mouses
- Smartwatches
- Wireless keyboards
- Music players
- Small medical devices
- Certain smartphones
- Hearing aids
These devices communicate wirelessly by sending and receiving signals. But, this same principle can be used to charge them.
The device’s receiver will connect to the same frequency as the charger’s transmitters. Then, radio waves will begin to charge the device.
Inductive Charging
Next, there’s inductive wireless charging, ideal for devices that use a moderate amount of power. This includes most smartphones, certain kitchen appliances, and tablets.
Basically, a conductive charging pad gets plugged into an outlet. From there, the principles of electromagnetic resonance take over. An electromagnetic field is created on the charging pad, and electricity is transferred to the device.
This is the method that’s used on popular phone technology MagSafe chargers. So, if you want wireless phone charging capabilities, you’ll likely find one that uses inductive charging.
Resonance Charging
Lastly, there’s resonance charging, which is the type of wireless charging method that’s needed on devices that use quite a lot of power. These include electric vehicles, vacuum cleaners, computers, and even robots!
In order for this type of charging to work, the device needs to contain a copper coil. Then, this coil needs to be tuned to the electromagnetic frequency that’s used by the charger’s power source.
However, it’s important to note that this type of charging can only be used over short distances. So, there are still improvements that can be made.
The Benefits of Wireless Charging
The most significant benefit of wireless charging for many people is that it eliminates annoying wires, cords, and adapters. For one thing, these things are annoying to keep up with.
However, they’re also easily damaged if they move around too much. And, if you have too many of them plugged in, they can easily become a tripping hazard. Next, wireless charging is faster than traditional charging.
So you can save valuable time waiting for your device to charge. Lastly, wireless charging has the potential to create universal compatibility when it comes to charging.
If you’ve ever traveled to Europe, you know that they use different chargers over there. However, with wireless charging pads, that’s no longer an issue—no need to remember to bring along your adapters to charge your phone.
Future Wireless Charging Tech Trends
So, what’s in the future for wireless charging? First, there are entirely electric vehicles. As many people switch to these types of cars, they realize that the clunking charging cords that come with them can be annoying.
As we mentioned, resonance charging is making things easier for these types of car owners. However, it’s also incentivizing many car owners to make the switch to electric cars.
If wireless charging pads are placed around the city, then it will make this type of clean energy much more accessible for electric car drivers. However, that’s not the only new development occurring with wireless car charging tech.
Many are also hopeful that dynamic electric vehicle charging (or DEVC) will soon become widespread. This is the process of charging electric vehicles while they’re in motion. Think about it.
This would eliminate the need for large energy storage required on electric vehicles. As such, they would have the potential to be much more compact and lighter.
In addition to this, it would allow electric vehicle owners to drive further before having to worry about a charge. Next, there’s the promise of wireless charging in the medical industry.
Thousands of people rely on devices like pacemakers to stay alive every day. Unfortunately, these devices use wires or implanted battery packs to power the function.
That means that people with a wired connection have the potential to lose power, which could put the person in a medical emergency. Luckily, researchers are already experimenting with transferring power to these devices using radio waves.
That means that people with pacemakers, or similar small medical devices, will never need to worry about them losing power.
Appreciate Learning About Wireless Charging Technology? Keep Exploring
We hope this article helped you learn more about wireless charging technology trends, the future is already here because now the built in battery laptop with no external battery. As you can see, the state of wireless charging has already progressed quite far in recent years.
However, soon we can expect it to shift away from smartphones and towards medical devices and electric vehicles.
So, the future is looking wireless! Enjoy learning about changing tech trends? We have hundreds of similar articles on our website so keep reading to find more you’ll enjoy.
