The Wireless Power Line-Up

Wireless Power for Small Devices

If you’re looking for a summary of how wireless power can keep small devices, like smartphones, hearing aids, electronic shelf labels, retail scanners, shared mobility trackers, and more, charged up and continuously connected today, you’re in the right place.

Real Wireless Power™, like Ossia’s Cota^Ⓡ, is power delivered over air at a distance. It’s not tethered to a charging pad or wired to an outlet, and it doesn’t require the device to be within sight or lined up with the transmitter that’s sending the power.

What’s more, it’s safe to use with people in the room. That’s our definition of Real Wireless Power. And it exists today. Ossia has developed the technology over the last decade and is licensing it to forward-thinking organizations to develop and execute in a variety of applications, mostly commercial, to start. Applying wireless power at a distance to personal devices is just around the corner.

Elements of Real Wireless Power

To understand how to leverage the technology, it’s good to have a basic understanding of how Real Wireless Power, like Cota, works. First, it’s a radio-frequency-based transmission, much like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but it doesn’t interfere with these over-air systems.

Wireless Power Transmitter

A wirelessly powered system in a building, vehicle, or home requires a transmitter. This transmitter can be any form factor. Ossia has developed one, called Cota Tile^Ⓡ, that can replace a common ceiling tile in an office or warehouse. We’ve also created an even smaller profile transmitter we call Cota HOME^Ⓡ for residential and small offices. These transmitters can be linked (without touching) for greater range.

Cota transmitters, once connected, simply wait for a beacon signal from a receiver.

Wireless Power Receiver

Cota receivers are tiny, and they can be integrated into almost any small device. When a receiver moves into range of a transmitter, about 30 feet, it will send out a beacon signal, which bounces off of walls and ceilings and furniture, to find a transmitter. Once the transmitter receives the signal, it sends power back along the same paths. This happens lightening fast, even if the receiving device is in motion and in use.

The best part is, the individual who benefits from their devices staying charged up doesn’t have to do a thing. No remembering to plug in or place the devices on a charging pad. Charging happens automatically.

Cloud Management of Wireless Power

What makes a Real Wireless Power system even more convenient is that it can all be managed remotely over the cloud. With Cota Cloud^Ⓡ, you can set up the parameters that suit your situation, including who has access and when. You can even prioritize devices to receive power first.

 In a commercial environment, Cota Cloud becomes even more useful, because you can track how much power is being used by which devices, which helps with sustainability.

If the device is topped up and no power is needed, the system goes into “sleep” mode.

Bridging the Gap from Wired to Wireless

If Cota receivers are being built in to new, future devices, you might wonder what happens to all your current favorite devices. We considered that, too.

Current devices can leverage Cota Real Wireless Power with an add-on accessory, like a phone case. We’ve created two such wireless power samples to show how easy it is to bridge the gap from wired to wireless with the Cota Forever Battery.

Cota Forever Battery^Ⓡ

We developed the Cota Forever Battery to fit within a standard AA battery slot on any device. It’s essentially a Cota receiver shaped like an AA battery. Plug it into any battery-operated small device -- a smoke detector or motion sensor, for example -- and you never have to worry about the battery going dead again. The device will always have power, as long as it’s within range of a Cota transmitter.

Cota Sleeve

What about devices that have an internal rechargable battery, like a smartphone? We imagined a simple solution: a device sleeve or case that has a Cota receiver built in and allows the device to receive power over the air.

Remember, Ossia is not a manufacturer of wireless power applications. We are focusing on the technology so that our licensees and partners have free reign to imagine the most effective applications of it. Cota Sleeve and the Forever Battery are working samples of how the technology can be applied.

Eventually, all small devices will simply come set up with a wireless power receiver built in, so you won’t need an accessory like Forever Batteries or sleeves. That’s when the real convenience of worry-free wireless power will take off.

How Real Wireless Power Complements Other Power Sources

When wireless power is built in from the manufacturer, will we even need other power sources? For an indefinite amount of time, the answer is absolutely, Yes.

Today’s wireless power is most convenient when the device is located within a space that has wireless power available. But just as Wi-Fi wasn’t available everywhere when it was first introduced, wireless power will take some time to be integrated into all your favorite coffee shops, airports, offices, and transportation modes, like trains, cars, and airplanes. The currently available wireless power technology is also not effective outside, but we expect that to be a temporary limitation.

So what do you do if you only have access to it at the office or at home? That’s where traditional charging methods step in to back you up.

Real Wireless Power works seamlessly alongside other power sources. So when wireless power is not available or you need a faster charge because you’re leaving again soon, you can certainly leverage your Qi charging pad or plug in to an outlet or solar charger.

How Wireless Power Will Impact Your Life and Business

How will you contribute to the wireless power revolution that is quickly approaching? Are you an early adopter or fast follower? Will your organization be ready to leverage wireless power where traditional power methods aren’t efficient or scalable, such as Iot and 5G-network-reliant devices? Will your products and business infrastructure be wireless power ready?

 The wireless power ecosystem is rapidly expanding to prepare for global changes in power needs and power sources. How will this impact your life and business?

 Ossia is helping businesses prepare for inevitable wireless power. We look forward to connecting with you.