The struggle is real.
Everyone has experienced it, got annoyed by it, or even got lost because of it. The empty battery problem of your mobile device. With so many devices and only a limited number of electrical outlets (especially on universities) we need a solution that is both sustainable and convenient.
One solution could be to carry around a Portable charger. Although they come in many shapes and sizes, they still feel inconvenient to me to carry around. But is creating more batteries really the solution? The Lithium used for those batteries needs a tremendous amount of other metals (copper and aluminum) to work, reducing the environmental savings (Notter, et al., 2010). Another question we need to ask ourselves is whether we really want to retrieve all that lithium from the earth’s crust, as almost all of it is coming from Argentina, Bolivia & Chile. A 2007 French study concluded that “it would be irresponsible to despoil these regions for a material which can only ever be produced in sufficient quantities to serve a niche market of luxury vehicles for the top end of the market..” (Tahil, 2007).
Though Wireless charging is being promoted for a while now already, your mobile device needs to basically be on top of such a ‘wireless charging stations’. Since that isn’t very convenient in most situations a new solution has been created by Wi-Charge. The wireless charging stations that they create can charge any mobile device that is within a range of 10m of the station. The transmitter uses safe infrared beams to reach the receiver, establishing a Virtual Photonic Power Cord™ (Wi-Charge, 2017). Have a look at below video to see for yourself how it works.
https://youtu.be/hIuDCqUXzVI&w=400&h=225
Although this product is currently in its beta-testing, it will become available in the first half of 2018 in commercial public spaces. However, it is unknown if the company has plans to launch a product for charging your device inside your house (Boxall, 2017). But since walking around with a ‘power bank’ or some cables can be very inconvenient, maybe even awkward, public wireless charging seems more helpful anyway.
So, what are your thoughts on this? Will we in not too long from now take wireless charging for granted like we already do with wireless internet connections?
References
Boxall, A. (2017, August 15). No cables, no hassle: Wi-Charge’s in-room wireless charging is coming next year. Retrieved from Digital Trends: https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/wi-charge-in-room-wireless-charging-approved-fda/
Notter, D., Gauch, M., Widmer, R., Wager, P., Stamp, A., Zah, R., & Althaus, H.-J. (2010). Contribution of Li-Ion Batteries to the Environmental Impact of Electric Vehicles. Environ. Sci. Technol., 6550 – 6556.
Tahil, W. (2007, January). The trouble with Lithium: Implications of Future PHEV Production for Lithium Demand. Retrieved from Meridian International Research: http://www.meridian-int-res.com/Projects/EVRsrch.htm
Wi-Charge. (2017). Technology. Retrieved from Wi-Charge: https://www.wi-charge.com/technology/
Interesting post, I do agree with you that the in the future this can be a standard for a public place or your home. But on this point I think the costs, although they are unknown, are too high. Isn’t still really easy to put your phone in a charge? As well the growth of public charges and power plugs(even in the Erasmus library), in combination with the fast charge options various phone like Samsung offer, you not far away from a power source. I also would like to know more about the “lost” power, because I think a lot of power lost by having this device on standby all the time. Maybe when the product is on the market we can make a better costs and benefits analysis.
First of all, I wasn’t aware of the introduction of wireless charging or the capabilities behind it, therefore it was a very interesting read for me! I completely agree that carrying around a power bank can be inconvenient at times. After all, you have to also remember to charge your power bank before you leave the house, which can lead to unpleasant circumstances if you forget to do so. I am assuming people’s main concern with wireless charging lies with safety. However, making use of wireless charging can prevent the contact made with electric outputs, and thus prevent possible electric shocks. You have also mentioned that Wi-charge would use safe infrared beams, so safety in terms of health shouldn’t be an issue. Safety in terms of security however still remains a concern for me. What if the Wi-charge station was to be hacked in to and all devices that are connected to the station are affected?
Hi Sander, thanks for the interesting article! Wireless charging will probably be the next must-have item in the future, since we have so many devices that need to be charged at the same time. Indeed, walking with a power bank or your charging cables all the time does not only create extra weight for you to carry, but also the concern or the reminder to take these items with you when you exit the house. I see the potential in Wi-Charge, and I hope this product will come into the market soon since it will be much more convenient for charging all the devices at the same time. However, there are some debates about whether having a fully charged phone all the time is bad for our phones. According to Mearian (2017), keeping your phone charged fully all the time will hasten its degradation. Of course there are some cons at the moment for the current phase of wireless charging, but I do believe in the near future, these issues will become smaller and smaller as there are optimised way of charging is releasing.
Cheers,
Xian Tse
Source: Mearian, Lucas. “Is Wireless Charging Bad for Your Smartphone?” Computerworld, Computerworld, 29 Sept. 2017, http://www.computerworld.com/article/3229750/mobile-wireless/is-wireless-charging-bad-for-your-smartphone.html.