The new uBeam ultrasound tech attempts to reinvent wireless charging

Justin Kahn

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ubeam

There are a number of wireless charging systems for mobile devices on the market, most of which require some sort of base station or charging mat. Start-up uBeam teased us with a new way of doing it some years ago, and is now ready with a working prototype. Using ultrasound, the company's new system can charge a device while it is still in your pocket or being used.

A small charging station placed in a room converts power for smartphones into ultrasound. The sound waves are then captured by a receiver on-board near by mobile devices and converted back into usable power. It does have quite an impressive range, but it will not work through walls the way WiFi does, so multiple base stations would be required for complete coverage throughout a home or workplace.

However, despite some of its limitations and its somewhat early stage of development, uBeam feels the tech will become as readily available and popular as WiFi. The co-founder of uBeam, Meredith Perry (above), feels the tech could have a profound effect on the way manufacturers design mobile devices moving forward. She suggests a system like uBeam's could allow for much smaller and less powerful batteries considering the ultrasound would be constantly charging devices without the user even needing to pay attention.

At this point there is no specifics on when uBeam equipped devices could be made commercially available.

Image via Business Insider

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I doubt that's any cheaper than my using a 10' USB charging cord. And it doesn't look to be any more convenient. Maybe I missed the applied uses for this, but it appears to be a solution without a problem.
 
Exactly, read this then say you want this technology in your house...
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/ultrasoundrodgers.asp

Wow you probably also think vaccinations cause autism right?

Granted there is obviously health concerns and questions but just quoting some hack website with no research or proof is ridiculous. You can literally stab a fetus in the brain with a knife and it will heal/regrow to a healthy child so that kind of claims are just so absurd it makes me laugh.

I love that at least there is some progress being made, even if it does not get used to charge latops and phones it could be used for other purposes where there is no health concern like outdoor cameras or powering something that operates in a toxic or extreme environment.
 
I love this concept and all, but I wonder if there are any health concerns like @bexwhitt said. But then again, waves (like those of Wifi and Bluetooth) are going through the air as we speak and this is just another addition. As long as this tech is cheap enough, the adoption will be as they expect.
 
I wonder what how much energy is being wasted. Granted where I live power is cheap and plentiful, if these units are constantly transmitting power then unless there is a constant receiver it is wasting something. And even if there is a constant receiver, there's probably still waste. It could be miniscule but I am still curious.

I like the idea of convenience and wonder if/when this takes off if we'll see devices with smaller batteries/shorter battery life because they can be conveniently charged anywhere anytime. Might create a bigger dependency on energy as a whole.
 
I wonder what how much energy is being wasted. Granted where I live power is cheap and plentiful, if these units are constantly transmitting power then unless there is a constant receiver it is wasting something. And even if there is a constant receiver, there's probably still waste. It could be miniscule but I am still curious.

I like the idea of convenience and wonder if/when this takes off if we'll see devices with smaller batteries/shorter battery life because they can be conveniently charged anywhere anytime. Might create a bigger dependency on energy as a whole.

Have the device send out a signal when the battery is getting low to get the charger to start transmitting power to the device. If they could somehow get the power output of the charging devices to be minimal it would be like having a an appliance plugged in.
 
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