Wearables To Drive Design of Wireless Charging Technology as Penetration Increases

Four in 10 U.S. households and more than 20 percent in Europe will use wireless charging by 2020, said a Juniper Research report Tuesday. As more devices implement wireless charging -- smartphones, tablets, wearables and upcoming laptops -- infrastructure providers are starting to roll out support for wireless charging in a manner similar to the rollout of public Wi-Fi, said Juniper. The visible public infrastructure will play a key role in increasing awareness of the technology, where consumers can audition it without committing to a purchase, Juniper said. The provision of additional data-based services alongside the charging process is an area of potential for wireless charging, said Juniper. “While easing battery anxiety is a key appeal of the technology, the easy data exchange will in the future enable over-the-air services through the charging points,” said analyst James Moar. "Wireless charging will ultimately be about more than the power and speed of charge.” The ability to pinpoint device location through data exchange enables “location-based activation functions around the home, the car and in the leisure industry,” and industry stakeholders should be ready to leverage the opportunity, he said. Japan is expected to lead global adoption of longer-ranged resonance-based charging technologies, while induction-based charging will remain dominant for the next five years in cost-driven markets, Juniper said. Wearables will account for a fifth of all wireless charging by 2020 and will drive diverse designs without physical connectors, it said.