After months of collaboration with the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology, I’m thrilled to announce that Ossia received official notice on June 27th, 2019, of equipment authorization for Cota under FCC Part 15 and Part 18.
As you can imagine, this is a really big deal, and not just for Ossia. My dream for Cota has always been to make a change-the-world technology. The original invention of wireless power delivery is one thing, but making it into something serves our customers is a different aspect entirely, and that is what we have been focused on at Ossia. We are taking the core invention of wireless power delivery and turning it into something our customers can derive tremendous value from. Features such as ease of use for receiver deployment not requiring non-line of sight, enterprise control functionality of device priority and authentication and so much more.
I want the future where the words ‘battery charging’ no longer exist. How many times do you hear the word ‘battery’ every day? About your phone, car, fire alarms. We envision a world where our customers are delivering mind-blowing technology with seamless user experiences to the world, turning us into a place where we will never think about the nearest outlet or being low on battery ever again. Where power will reach never before reached corners, enabling innovation never before possible with the constraints of batteries and wires. This FCC approval paves the way to provide the Cota technology for our customers, who will now charge into market with Real Wireless Power.
Here’s how Cota technology is different from any other wireless power system out there.
Wireless Power at a Distance
Unlike other kinds of wireless power, Cota delivers power at a distance, without charging pads. Cota powers devices anywhere within a designated area without any required manual setup or configuration, other than telling the transmitter to look for the device and send power to it.
The Cota transmitter sends targeted power to the device automatically. It can also power a device in non-line-of-sight situations, which essentially means the power signal can go around corners, into large appliances, and behind furniture.
The received power is enough to charge a wearable, power an iBeacon device, or power any device that consumes as much power as a typical smartphone.
Safe for People in the Room
Safety with people in the room may seem like something that’s a given, but other approaches to power at a distance, whether FCC-certified or still pending certification, assume there is nobody in the charging environment. This is due to the complexity of powering devices while maintaining safety.
Cota technology, on the other hand, easily passes this test because of its inherent safety capabilities: it avoids any path that loses the signal. In other words, Cota technology avoids absorptive materials like human bodies or your office Labrador. It can safely charge while there are people around.
Cota was tested with humans (actually, simulations of humans) in the room to determine how much signal their bodies absorbed. The safety testing is the same stringent safety testing that cell phones, smartphones, and other radio devices need to pass in order to be sold on the market. Cota had no trouble passing this safety test, which was one of the requirements for FCC certification.
Wide Wireless Power Applications
The certification of the Cota system—which is ideal for business applications that require efficient power within one meter—is the first step toward consumer use of wireless power in our everyday environment. Now that this initial certification has established the test methods, we will continue to work with the FCC and other regulatory bodies to enable future certifications for higher power, longer distances, improved design, and consumer-level electronics.
We imagine a world where businesses and consumers never have to worry about charging devices, changing batteries, or wiring buildings. Wireless power will enable the billions of IoT and small devices that run our world to stay powered, all the time.
And that’s a big deal ... for everyone.
For more details, read the official press release.
