Wireless power takes another baby step at CES 2010 with Qi standard

It’s our third year visiting with Fulton Innovation and the eCoupled wireless power booth at CES, and once again there’s significant progress to be seen — this time in the form of actual shipping products like the Case-mate Hug and the Dell Latitude Z. Fulton’s really pushing the industry standard angle with eCoupled — it’s a founding member of the Wireless Power Consortium, which is just a few months away from finalizing a standard based on eCoupled called Qi. Qi’s going to be backed by some pretty big names: Motorola, Nokia, RIM, Energizer, Duracell, Samsung, and Philips are all members of the WPC, along with several others, and the goal is for all this stuff to seamlessly play together. Fulton had some pretty hot demos to show off of the standard in action, including a Toyota Avalon interior with functional spots for two phones, a GPS, a Bluetooth headset, and a netbook, a slick first-class airline seat with a charging table, and a hotel room with several power points — including a slick motorized dock built into the desk for the Dell. Our favorite demo, however, was a wall sconce: an eCoupled point in the wall was used to power a light fixture, which was then swapped for a digital photo frame. Nifty stuff, indeed.

Still, the big challenge for Fulton and the WPC is going to be actually shipping a bunch of these products this year — standards are nice, but without gear in hand they’re meaningless, and the rival PowerMat crew has been making a pretty big push of its own. We’ll see what happens in the next few months — and how much has changed at CES 2011. Check a couple videos after the break!

Continue reading Wireless power takes another baby step at CES 2010 with Qi standard

Wireless power takes another baby step at CES 2010 with Qi standard originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fulton Innovation shows off mid-range eCoupled wireless power

Continue reading Fulton Innovation shows off mid-range eCoupled wireless power

Fulton Innovation shows off mid-range eCoupled wireless power originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swarm robot project sounds ominous, uses open source

Why would you want to build a 100-strong swarm of mini robots? Well, aside from having them as your minions, you might be able to learn about “artificial self-organization,” and “control in large robotic groups,” which should come in useful during the inevitable robot insurrection. The swarm robot project, undertaken by the Universities of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe in Germany, aims to produce mini drones that can communicate with one another to avoid collisions, while keeping to a volume of less than three centimeters cubed. Built using open source software and hardware (full list of components is available under the GPL), the latest prototype, titled Jasmine III, achieves those goals while also being able to run “perpetually” thanks to a wireless charging platform. You can see it in close-up after the break, or hit the read link for all the geeky details.

[Via Hizook]

Continue reading Swarm robot project sounds ominous, uses open source

Filed under: Robots

Swarm robot project sounds ominous, uses open source originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Latitude Z series to include wireless charging?

An article appeared in Forbes the other day that we found very interesting indeed. The gist? That our current economic hiccup is ending (we’ll believe that when we see it) and if Dell plays its card right it can capitalize on the imminent post-recession uptick in sales that’s sure to come as companies start clamoring to tend to their long-neglected technology. And the key to such a strategy? Newer, sexier gear, such as Dell’s long-rumored, not yet confirmed Latitude Z notebook. The premium machine is said to feature a 16-inch display and “most likely, advanced wireless capabilities, perhaps even wireless charging.” Apparently we can expect the machine to launch within the next few weeks, at a price point that is yet to be determined — although we’re guessing it ain’t going to be cheap.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Laptops

Dell Latitude Z series to include wireless charging? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nagano Japan shows off yet another contactless charging system

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Nagano Japan shows off yet another contactless charging system originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Showa Aircraft shows off contactless charging system, world backs on up a little

We’ve been hearing about true contactless charging systems for some time now (as opposed to simple wireless chargers like the Pre Touchstone), but it looks like Japan’s Showa Aircraft is among the first to actually show off the real deal in action. Like some of those other proposed systems, Showa’s rig uses an electromagnetic induction method, which lets it charge or power devices up to one meter apart, although it apparently works best at distances less than 60 centimeters, where it’s able to reach a 90% transmission efficiency. Now, all that energy floating through the air can understandably raise a few eyebrows, but Showa assures us that it is completely safe, and they’ve demonstrated as much placing a frying pan between the two massive coils, which apparently did not heat up.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Showa Aircraft shows off contactless charging system, world backs on up a little originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Incandescent bulbs making a comeback, GE still launching new LED lights

On the eve of Christmas 2007, quite a few obituaries for incandescent light bulbs were penned. News was slow, time was short and Congress had just outlined a new energy plan that would essentially force these energy-wasting bulbs out by 2012. Now, however, legions of scientists are racing the clock to develop new incandescents that will still meet the upcoming guidelines, with a Deposition Sciences technology paving the way for a post-2012 model from Philips. Without drowning you in technobabble, let’s just say that said tech has seen 50 percent efficiency gains in the lab, which is more than enough to please even the most outspoken tree hugger in Washington. In related news, GE has issued two more LED light bulbs: the 7-watt Energy Smart LED PAR20 and 10-watt LED PAR30. Both of ‘em are aimed more at commercial customers than at actual homes, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a better option for lighting up your makeshift basketball court.

Read – Incandescent bulbs stage comeback
Read – GE Energy Smart bulbs

Filed under: Household

Incandescent bulbs making a comeback, GE still launching new LED lights originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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