Mi Air Charge Technology is a revolutionary new form of wireless charging brought to you by the global technology leader Xiaomi. You can forget about cables and even charging stands because this new power transmission system enables you to charge electronic devices without them remotely!
It can provide five watts of power to multiple devices across the room (up to around 16 feet away, but Xiaomi aims to broaden the reach). The transmission isn’t affected by physical objects between the transmitter and receiving points. It can recharge a cellphone while it’s being used and while you’re walking around.
The company explained the technology in a blog post on its website:
“The core technology of Xiaomi’s remote charging lies in space positioning and energy transmission. Xiaomi’s self-developed isolated charging pile has five phase interference antennas built-in, which can accurately detect the smartphone’s location. A phase control array composed of 144 antennas transmits millimeter-wide waves directly to the phone through beamforming.
On the smartphone side, Xiaomi has also developed a miniaturized antenna array with a built-in “beacon antenna” and “receiving antenna array.” Beacon antenna broadcasts position information with low power consumption. The receiving antenna array composed of 14 antennas converts the millimeter-wave signal emitted by the charging pile into electric energy through the rectifier circuit, to turn the sci-fi charging experience into reality.”
For now, Xiaomi’s space isolation charging technology is compatible with smartphones. Shortly, it will also work with bracelets, smartwatches, and other wearable devices. The company envisions a world where all living room devices, including desk lamps, speakers, and other smart home products, are built upon a wireless power supply design. Soon, our living rooms will be completely free of wires – genuinely wireless.
The Mi Air Charge Technology isn’t available yet and likely won’t be before 2022. Nevertheless, this product signifies the beginning of an actual wireless charging era and a bold attempt to turn the whole house wireless.
Another great wireless charging development, but for the outdoors, is a technology by researchers at Stanford University that allows cars to charge while driving. This is different than existing charging pads, which require an electric vehicle to be parked above the device to charge. The Stanford charger would be built into the road itself so cars could charge their batteries on the go.
