On the stage of the seventh annual TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, tech startup Ossia Inc. unveiled an intriguing new product – a remote wireless power system.
Ossia, which launched its wireless power system on Tuesday, said its system runs on a special proprietary technology called Cota. The technology, which has been kept under wraps since 2006, delivers energy to multiple devices up to 9.1 metres away, without having them in the user’s line of sight.
Nine metres is generally enough room for a two-storey house, so Ossia is aiming its product at the consumer market to power devices like smartphones, remote controls, cameras, video game controllers, flashlights, and smoke detectors.
Check out this video from TechCrunch on Ossia.
The technology, which Ossia has patented, uses phased arrays to transfer power. That means there’s no need for inductive coils, ultrasonic waves, magnetic resonance, charging pads or mats.
Instead, Cota just runs on a charger and a receiver. The charger will search for receivers built into devices or batteries, and then it will deliver omnidirectional signals. When the signals hit the charger, they go back to the receiver, focusing energy on the device’s location. This way, Cota is constantly sending power to devices within a room, even if they’re being shifted or moved around. The technology is also safe, according to Ossia, as it avoids anything that absorbs energy, like people, pets, or plants.
“By revealing for the very first time real wireless power that is remote, efficient and safe, Ossia expects to change everything you think you know about wireless power,” said Ossia CEO Hatem Zeine in a statement. During his demonstration at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco, he lit LED lights and recharged a smartphone, both about three metres away.
“Cota will unleash the imagination of product designers and entrepreneurs globally to innovate and create new products that only exist in a completely wireless state – one that is always on and always ready.”
The plan is to get consumer electronics manufacturers to include Cota receivers in their new products, as well as to build their own Cota receivers. Industrial companies in construction and energy are also looking at their own ways of applying Ossia’s Cota technology.
Ossia was one of 30 companies chosen to present on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt, which ran from Sept. 9 to 11.
