Motorola Demos Over-The-Air ‘Space Charging’ That Can Power Up Phones From Afar
Video screenshot via Motorola
Earlier in the year, both Xiaomi and Oppo unveiled their futuristic over-the-air wireless charging devices.
Now, Motorola is joining the race to create the best contactless wireless charger, though no company has made it to the market just yet.
Motorola’s go at the technology, which it named ‘Space Charging’, was created in partnership with GuRu Wireless. Salom Electrics had also worked together with the company and will be in charge of manufacturing the device.
According to Gizmodo, Motorola demonstrated the wireless charger’s capability in a live presentation video at Lenovo’s Tech World event.
The video shows four different smartphones, each placed at a different distance to show off Space Charging’s long-range charging abilities. Currently, the maximum distance in which it can wirelessly charge a smartphone is up to 10 feet.
“No charging cable is required, and no need to consider the location of the power source,” said Motorola on Chinese social network Weibo.
The moment you enter a room, your smartphone will begin charging. Plus, the company said it boasts 100-degree “wide-angle” coverage, and can also charge devices even through paper and leather.
Additionally, Motorola said the charger will come with built-in “bio-monitoring.” It would be able to identify once someone has stepped into the room, and “will avoid/stop blocking part of the charging beam.”
With Xiaomi and Oppo already part of the competition, there’s lots for Motorola to do before its Space Charging device can hit the shelves. As per a report by CNET, various regions vary in regulations, making designing the charger little more tricky.
For example, for another over-the-air charging firm, Ossia, it had to adhere to a limited charging range in the US, whereas it’ll be allowed an unlimited range in the EU and UK. The next concern will be the charger’s speed.
Digital Chat Station posits that Motorola’s charger can hit 5W at most, which is a lot slower than the average fast-charging speed of 18W for most devices.
Oppo’s is currently at 7.5W, with Xiaomi at 5W, as well. Even though over-the-air charging seems a lot more convenient, most people might rather opt for a speedy charge with a wire or dock than a sluggish charge.
While it may take a while before over-the-air chargers become ubiquitous in households, it still does look pretty cool to see a device boot up upon entering a room. Take a look at Motorola’s demonstration video below.
[via Gizmodo, cover image via Motorola]
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