IoT Sensors, Wearables Among Target Devices for AirFuel's RF-Based Wireless Power Standard

As demand increases for IoT sensors and wearables, so does the need for efficient, practical power solutions, AirFuel Alliance President Sanjay Gupta emailed us Friday. IoT sensors and wearables such as smart glasses and hearables are typically powered by batteries that need to be replaced or charged frequently, a “significant pain point” for consumers the alliance hopes to address with an RF-based wireless power standard, Gupta said. RF-based wireless power delivers power “in a 3D volume, can charge multiple devices safely and simultaneously, and can be readily integrated into small devices with no flat surfaces,” he said. The concept of 3D charging “has always been exciting” but has only overcome regulatory and safety hurdles in the past couple of years, he said. The first products to incorporate the technology are now coming to market; “maturity of the market" and the regulatory environment make the timing right "to define a global standard,” said Gupta. AirFuel members will participate in the standard initiative, he said. Among the 30 AirFuel Alliance members listed on the website Friday were Samsung, STMicroelectronics, Huawei, Energous, TDK, WiTricity, the EPA’s Energy Star program, Omron and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.