Company wants to enable wireless charging via lasers and infrared light

The Israeli start-up Wi-Charge has developed a wireless charging system that, among other things, can charge mobile phones using infrared light sent by lasers. The company hopes to bring the technology to market in 2016 or 2017.

The Wi-Charge charging system is placed in a lamp. Infrared light is sent via a retro-reflecting mirror with a laser diode to the receiver, for example a mobile phone. The receiver is also equipped with a retro-reflective mirror and a photovoltaic cell to convert the light into electricity. According to the start-up, this system can be used to continuously charge a mobile phone or other device in a room. According to the company, the infrared light used is completely harmless and does not cause any interference in electronic equipment.

The first charging system to be launched by Wi-Charge can charge devices up to 4.5 meters with a power of 2W. Future versions should be able to deliver 5W. The manufacturers of mobile devices can integrate the infrared receiver, but optionally this can also be done by including it in a protective case. In addition, Wi-Charge is working on dongles that can be placed in wireless speakers, for example.