You would think that entering 2021, charging stations, cables and stands would be a thing of the past. When you realise that self-lacing sneakers are already a reality, “tying” your mobile phone to a wall in order to charge it seems a bit antiquated.
Enter Mi Air Charge Technology.
The brainchild of global technology leader Xiaomi, this is the most recent and most successful take on wireless charging. What makes Xiaomi’s technology unique is their approach on space positioning and energy transmission. Their proprietary isolated charging pile has five phase interference antennas built in, which can precisely identify the position of a user’s mobile phone. A phase control array composed of 144 antennas transmits millimeter-wide waves directly to the phone through beamforming.
Have a look at the Xiaomi’s video here.
As the Chinese conglomerate mentioned in their announcement, “Currently, Xiaomi remote charging technology is capable of 5-watt remote charging for a single device within a radius of several meters.” This has been described as the purest attempt at a true wireless charging experience in an era where this type of technology is set for success. Consider that Xiaomi’s release comes a few days apart from Motorola’s demo release of a wireless charging tech that can power devices 100cm away. These are developments in a global wireless charging market that is estimated to be worth more than $30 billion by 2026.
The Future Of Wireless Technology: The Internet Of Things (IoT), 5G & Li-Fi
Xiaomi’s Mi Air Charge Technology is the predecessor to a new era of wireless tech. First-generation wireless chargers were limited, only allowing a few centimeters between device and charger. Take those centimeters and turn them into meters and what you have is the foundation for The Internet of Things (IoT) to come alive.
The opportunities are endless in terms of private, business and commercial use. Restaurant tables and office furniture that can charge smartphones, kitchen counters that can power the coffee machine and other appliances and TV stands that can power TV sets are just some of the applications we might be enjoying in the near future. Say goodbye to annoying cables.
When you couple this with the unbelievable developments in 5G network technology, you have a combination that will exponentially boost the Internet of Things. Higher data transfer speeds and low transmission latency will open the floodgates of investment.
Self-driving vehicles, smart homes, drones, telemedicine, industrial automated machines; the list goes on and on and there is no ceiling to where wireless technology can go. According to Statista, the global market for Internet of things (IoT) end-user solutions is expected to grow to 212 billion U.S. dollars in size by the end of 2019. The technology reached 100 billion dollars in market revenue for the first time in 2017, and forecasts suggest that this figure will grow to around 1.6 trillion by 2025.
The excitement around wireless tech doesn’t stop there. Li-Fi, or light fidelity, will soon enter our life and replace the generation-defining Wi-Fi tech we are all so used to. What is Li-Fi? Li-Fi is a data transmission technology that uses light signals to transfer data between devices. The speed of light is something we don’t really need to hype up or describe as we all know its relationship to speed. Naturally, Li-Fi is much faster than Wi-Fi, reaching up to 224 gigabits/second with transmission rates of one gigabit/second. If those numbers mean nothing to you, let’s just say they are not meant to as the human mind can’t contextualize such insane speed.
Recap
Even though Xiaomi’s Mi Air Charge Technology is good enough to get excited right away, the real excitement is hidden in what it means for the future of wireless tech as a whole. Stay tuned to the Axios Holding blog as we will track progress and development and keep you posted.
