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Problem

Wireless charging technologies have become increasingly popular over the past decade or so, but current systems require the device being charged to be in a fixed location relative to the charger. Oftentimes, the device and the charger must be in contact, or very close to one another. Additionally, the charger is often fixed, and because of the proximitly requirements, the device must also be in a fixed location. This is particularly frustrating in the electric vehicle and warehouse robotics industries. One of the main inhibitors to electric vehicle adoption and one of the main frustrations for electric vehicle drivers is finding a location to plug in the vehicle. Not only are chargers in fixed locations, but it often takes many hours for the vehicles to be fully charged. Similarly, warehouse robots must stop working altogether in order to return to a charging station and fully charge before they can return to duty. This means hours of downtime for each warehouse robot.

Solution

While some seek to solve these issues by increasing battery size (and therefore weight and cost) of the vehicles or robots, Dr. Khurram Afridi took a different approach. He has developed a technology that allows devices to charge while in motion. This would allow cars, robots, or other electronics to charge without being fixed to a charger. In an exemplary application, Dr. Afridi can envision chargers built into roads to charge electric vehicles as they drive, or in warehouse floors to charge warehouse robots as they work. This eliminates downtime altogether, leading to both time and cost savings. Moreover, there is no need to increase battery size or weight, and, in some cases, the amount of on-board battery storage can be significantly reduced. Additionally, this can all be achieved without the electric field used to charge the device(s) exceeding prescribed safety limits. Imagine a world where your cell phone never dies because it wirelessly charges throughout the day!

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Market Application

Various markets can be envisioned for this technology, including: warehouse robotics, electric vehicles, trains, transit systems, biomedical implants, cell phones, laptops, and other personal electronics or battery-operated technologies.

What's Next?

The inventor recently left CU, but continues working on these technologies at Cornell. We are actively seeking licensing partners, advisors, and industry connections to get these technologies to market.