Wouldn’t it be great to get rid of the last rat’s nest of wires? That is, the various power cords powering our devices or charging their batteries. Researchers from the University of Tokyo are on the case.

On December 10th at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington, D.C., University of Tokyo researchers presented a large-area smart sheet that could provide wireless power to devices placed on it. Additionally, the sheet is capable of allowing the devices to communicate with each other.

The image below is of a miniature house with wireless power sheets embedded in the floor and covering the desk and wall. The sheets power various devices symbolized by LED lights

While further development is needed, the researchers believe that the sheets could be formed into table covers, desk covers, wallpaper, or embedded into the floor, allowing hundreds of devices to communicate with each other in a more secure manner than today’s wireless technologies.

The communications sheet is essentially a mixture of wired and wireless communications where communication is carried out over wires except for the last 1 millimeter, which is done wirelessly. “If the wireless connection is this short, the power does not dissipate, and it does not require a direct contact. So no cable or plug is needed.”, explains Takao Someya, associate professor at the University of Tokyo’s Quantum Phase Electronics Center.

By combining the communications sheet with a power-transmission sheet and feeding in power from an outside source, power can also be transmitted to devices. So far, the researchers have achieved a power transfer of more than 40 watts - enough to power a small notebook computer.

Read the IEEE article…

Source: IEEE
Photos: Takao Someya

Wouldn’t it be great to get rid of the last rat’s nest of wires? That is, the various power cords powering our devices or charging their batteries. Researchers from the University of Tokyo are on the case.

On December 10th at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington, D.C., University of Tokyo researchers presented a large-area smart sheet that could provide wireless power to devices placed on it. Additionally, the sheet is capable of allowing the devices to communicate with each other.

The image below is of a miniature house with wireless power sheets embedded in the floor and covering the desk and wall. The sheets power various devices symbolized by LED lights

While further development is needed, the researchers believe that the sheets could be formed into table covers, desk covers, wallpaper, or embedded into the floor, allowing hundreds of devices to communicate with each other in a more secure manner than today’s wireless technologies.

The communications sheet is essentially a mixture of wired and wireless communications where communication is carried out over wires except for the last 1 millimeter, which is done wirelessly. “If the wireless connection is this short, the power does not dissipate, and it does not require a direct contact. So no cable or plug is needed.”, explains Takao Someya, associate professor at the University of Tokyo’s Quantum Phase Electronics Center.

By combining the communications sheet with a power-transmission sheet and feeding in power from an outside source, power can also be transmitted to devices. So far, the researchers have achieved a power transfer of more than 40 watts - enough to power a small notebook computer.

Read the IEEE article…

Source: IEEE
Photos: Takao Someya