The Economist has a free article titled Coiled and ready to Strike which provides a summary of the state of wireless charging technologies.
From simple, but inefficient induction, to resonant induction, to lasers, many different avenues are being developed for charging different devices. There are efficiency problems with all of these.
Phones are the obvious target, with companies like McDonald's and Starbucks planning wireless charging stations in their restaurant tables. But other targets include electric cars, and buses, roadways, not to mention drones.
The story makes a good read to bring you up to speed without digging too deeply into the technical aspects of each method. Standardization seems the big problem, and even in the electronic device market there are competing non-inter-operable standards, being pushed. Oddly, the automotive industry may be closer to a standard than many.
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Friday June 26 2015, @06:58PM
Qi [wikipedia.org]
Qi (pronounced chee; IPA: /tʃiː/, coming from the Chinese word meaning "natural energy") is an interface standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium for inductive electrical power transfer over distances of up to 4 cm (1.6 inches).[1] The Qi system comprises a power transmission pad and a compatible receiver in a portable device. To use the system, the mobile device is placed on top of the power transmission pad, which charges it via resonant inductive coupling.[2]
(Score: 2) by DECbot on Friday June 26 2015, @07:27PM
Looking for a cheap, build-your-own-Qi-charger kit to charge my cell phone, I found this site [aliexpress.com]. Seems like buying it with the plastic case makes it cheaper.
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base