Energous, a developer of RF-based charging solutions for wireless power networks, has announced that its WattUp PowerBridge transmitter technology has been approved in South Korea for unlimited wireless power distance transmission for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The WattUp PowerBridge supports wireless power transfer (WPT) for multiple applications, including smart tags, electronic shelf labels, sensors and asset trackers.
The WattUp PowerBridge transmitter (image: Energous)
Energous develops silicon-based WPT technologies and customizable reference designs, and it also provides worldwide regulatory assistance, as well as sales and technical support. The company has received FCC Part 18 certification for at-a-distance wireless charging and has been awarded more than 200 patents to date for its WattUp wireless charging tech. The technology supports both contact and distance charging, the company reports, and is built to be fast, efficient and scalable.
According to Energous, the technology is intended to improve on coil-based charging technologies in terms of power, efficiency, foreign device detection, freedom of movement, and cost for industrial and retail IoT, as well as for smart homes, smart cities and medical devices. Regulatory approval in South Korea follows other global approvals for the company’s technology this year, which have expanded the reach of its WPT technologies thanks to similar certifications in the United States, Europe, China, India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
WattUp PowerBridges are built to charge multiple devices at a distance simultaneously, via RF-based wireless power over the air. This, the company explains, enables manufacturers to design cordless, batteryless and waterproof sensors, smart tags, asset trackers and other IoT applications for the industrial, retail, enterprise and healthcare markets. They can send power to, as well as act as a data link for, connected IoT devices. Analyst firm IDC projects the number of such devices will more than triple during the next three years, from approximately 12 billion at present to almost 40 billion by 2025.
“Energous has established a leadership position in wirelessly powering the IoT ecosystem, as the regulatory approvals of our WattUp PowerBridge technology continue to expand across the globe,” said Cesar Johnston, the company’s CEO, in a prepared statement. “With this latest approval in Korea, where growth of IoT deployments is strong and projected to continue expanding, Energous is able to now target the major trendsetting OEMs in Korea for our technology.”