by Brianna Crandall — April 20, 2018 — Energous Corporation, the developer of WattUp, a disruptive wire-free, power-at-a-distance charging technology said to be creating the Wireless Charging 2.0 ecosystem, recently announced Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certification of its WattUp near field transmitter, running at 900 MHz, under Part 18 of the FCC’s requirements. After undergoing rigorous testing with Underwriters Laboratory (UL), it was determined that the transmitter was fully compliant with all safety, EMC and regulatory requirements.
When using a Midsize (shown) or Full-Size WattUp transmitter, you can identify priorities for devices to receive power, and how much power to send to each device. Image courtesy Energous
The recently approved WattUp near field transmitter allows for contact-based charging capabilities, as well as interoperability with any WattUp-enabled receiving device.
Stephen R. Rizzone, CEO of Energous, stated:
Following the first FCC certification for our power-at-a-distance wireless charging transmitter under Part 18 rules, this approval represents a significant step forward in creating a fully compatible wireless charging ecosystem. This FCC-approved near field transmitter will serve as a production-ready reference design for many of the initial contact-based applications from our customers. This same transmitter is also undergoing similar testing and filings for international approvals as we provide a path for our top tier customers to launch globally.
WattUp ecosystem
Touted as the only technology that is capable of both contact-based and at-a-distance wireless charging, as well as the ability to charge multiple devices simultaneously, WattUp is highly scalable and works with a variety of different-sized products. The “revolutionary” radio frequency (RF) based charging solution delivers intelligent, scalable power via radio bands, similar to a Wi-Fi router, and ensures interoperability between receivers and transmitters, regardless of the manufacturer, making the entire ecosystem flexible and accessible for consumers and manufacturing partners.
The software lets users find public WattUp locations on a map, including whether they are free or paid systems. Image courtesy Energous
WattUp is said to differ from older wireless charging systems in that it delivers contained power-at-a-distance — thus resulting in a wire-free experience that saves users from having to remember to plug in their devices.
Like Wi-Fi, the WattUp ecosystem is complete with WattUp-enabled receivers and transmitters that work together seamlessly and ensure interoperability between devices. Energous’ WattUp technology enables consumers to automatically charge devices as soon as they are within range of a WattUp transmitter, both at-contact and at-a-distance. WattUp transmitters provide directed radio frequency (RF) energy to devices, which then convert the signal to DC current to charge the identified device.
Energous is a fabless semiconductor company that works with manufacturing partners to integrate WattUp into devices (receivers), such as smartphones, fitness bands and hearing aids, for example, and transmitters, which can include smart speakers, the bezel of a television, a computer monitor and more.
Frost & Sullivan’s North American Company of the Year Award
In other recent news, global growth partnership company Frost & Sullivan recognized Energous Corporation with its 2018 North American Company of the Year Award based on an analysis of the North American wireless charging market.
Todd Day, program manager of Connected Devices, pointed out:
Energous’ technology is highly scalable and innovative enough to alter consumers’ mobile connectivity experience. While there are many wireless charging solutions in the market, they are primarily coil-based solutions that have been in existence for more than 10 years and come with limitations. In addition to being tethered to a surface, the size of the coils prevents its application from being integrated into smaller mobile devices, which manufacturers dislike because they cannot implement the same technology in all of their products. Energous is driving much-needed change industrywide with its WattUp wireless technology, which delivers at-contact and over-the-air wireless power to mobile devices.
Several businesses, like coffee shops and restaurants, have been hesitant to adopt a technology, as they are not convinced about the returns on investment, especially when customers still have the option to simply plug in their device. There is a lot of anticipation for this specific solution because it is highly scalable, ensures interoperability between devices, and frees consumers from having to ever think about charging their devices again.
To learn more about the WattUp technology, visit the Energous website.
