Researchers gather in Halifax to showcase the future of wireless power technology

Leading researchers and engineers in wireless power technologies have converged in Halifax.

Charging a phone, laptop or even an electric vehicle without plugging it in may sound like science fiction, but researchers say the technology is moving closer to everyday life.

Hundreds of researchers, engineers and industry leaders are in Halifax this week for the IEEE Wireless Power Technology Conference at Dalhousie University, where they are sharing the latest advances in wireless power transfer.

Unlike wireless communication, which sends information through the air, wireless power technology focuses on transmitting electrical energy without physical cables.

“People are familiar with wireless communication; they’re used to Wi-Fi,” said Olivier Trescases, conference organizing committee co-chair and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Toronto. “This is a similar idea, but for power, to unplug all of our devices and send power wirelessly.”

Conference demonstrations include technology capable of charging a phone from about a metre away, as well as surfaces that can wirelessly power devices such as lights, computers and mobile phones.

Zhizhang Chen, conference organizing committee co-chair and a faculty member at Dalhousie University, said researchers are continuing to push the limits of the technology.

“One exhibition I saw, they actually can have sources maybe one or two metres away from the power device, the device will receive power,” Chen said.

Researchers say the technology could eventually make charging electric vehicles more convenient by allowing them to recharge simply by parking over a charging pad instead of plugging into a cable.

Despite the progress, experts say significant challenges remain before wireless power becomes commonplace.

“The challenge right now is the cost, but in the future, we are expecting it would be less costly,” said conference’s organizing committee’s co-chair Hamid Ali.

Ali said advances often come through small improvements made by students and researchers, including increasing battery life, reducing the size of charging devices and lowering manufacturing costs.

Sanjay Gupta, keynote speaker and president and chairman of the AirFuel Alliance, said collaboration between industry and academia is critical to making the technology practical.

“Nobody loves wires,” Gupta said. “The charging cords are the last cords in our lives, and we would love to eliminate all of those cords.”

Gupta said wireless power is still years away from becoming mainstream and will require continued research and development.

“We get together every year, we share the challenges we face in the industry, and we see our academic partners making progress,” he said. “If we can continue making baby steps in the right direction, that’s what makes me happy.”

The IEEE conference is being held in Halifax for the first time, bringing together researchers from around the world to discuss new technologies, industry standards and future applications for wireless power.

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