Energous Corporation, the developer of WattUp wire-free, power-at-a-distance charging technology has received FCC certification for its first-generation WattUp Mid Field transmitter, which sends focused, RF-based power to devices at a distance. This is the first FCC certification for power-at-a-distance wireless charging under Part 18 of the FCC's rules. This development represents a new era of wireless charging, and opens up a tremendous opportunity for the electronics industry.
Energous' WattUp Mid Field transmitter underwent rigorous, multi-month testing to verify it met consumer safety and regulatory requirements. As the first Part 18 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved power-at-a-distance wireless charging transmitter, the certification marks a significant milestone for the consumer electronics industry and paves the way for future wireless charging ubiquity for nearly any small electronic device, including smartphones, tablets, fitness trackers, smart watches, ear-buds, wireless keyboards and mice, smart speakers and more.
The company's WattUp Mid Field transmitter can deliver power via radio frequency (RF) energy to WattUp-enabled electronic devices at a distance of up to three feet. It can do both contact-based and non-contact-based wireless charging, as well as charge multiple devices at once, WattUp is highly scalable and automatically charges devices, as needed, until they are topped off.
While older charging technologies allow for only contact-based charging, Energous claims to be the only company to achieve Wireless Charging 2.0 to-date, which is the ability to charge devices both at contact (including fast charging large battery devices such as smartphones and tablets), as well as power-at-a-distance. Similar to WiFi, the WattUp ecosystem ensures interoperability between receivers and transmitters, regardless of the manufacturer, making the entire ecosystem flexible and accessible for consumers and manufacturing partners.
WattUp transmitter technology will continue to advance in power, distance, efficiency and scale, with applications that could include integration into the bezel of computer monitors, sound-bars, smart speakers, TVs, smart lighting, and other electronics in the home, office and beyond. This represents the first time FCC equipment certification has been awarded to any device that charges wirelessly at a distance, and operates under Part 18 of the FCC's rules. The FCC's Part 18 rules permit higher-power operations than are permitted under the Part 15 rules that have been used to approve other at a distance charging devices.
The company will be demonstrating its very latest WattUp technology at CES 2018 electronics show from January 9-12 in Las Vegas, NV.
