Power transfer with ultrasound. Now that is an original idea!

Meredith Perry, a 22 year old enterpreneur, has managed to harness ultrasound to transfer power. NPR has an article about her and her uBeam product.

Magnetic induction, microwaves, light, and infrared lasers have been tried and used extensively, but ultrasound is really new. My compliments!

Meredith is not the only youing entrepreneur in wireless power. Robin Nagelmaeker (21) is co-founder of GetPowerpad, with Tom Canters (26).

The Wireless Power Consortium has added a new transmitter technology to the Qi specification. This transmitter, called A4, uses two coils to enable a low-cost battery charger with increased freedom to position a Qi-capable phone on the charging surface.

The Qi specification is available as download from the website. You can find the new transmitter as "Addendum 2" inserted at the end of the document.

You can expect more approvals of transmitter technologies in the coming months. Members of the Wireless Power Consortium can get their wireless power technology included in the Qi specification, provided the technology is compatible with all Qi-capable phones and other Qi receivers. The procedure to get a wireless power technology approved is described in an earlier blog entry.

NTT Docomo is selling a waterproof phone 'Aquos'. The phone is charged wirelessly on a Qi wireless charger made by Sharp. http://us.aving.net/news/view.php?articleId=205912&Branch_ID=us

It is difficult to make a phone waterproof. Connectors are usually the point of entry for water and dust.

Wireless charging makes it so much easier. The watertight seals on the phone need not be opened during normal use and you can stay connected while sailing, surfing, rafting, kayaking and rowing.

More info about the phone in Japanese: http://www.sharp.co.jp/corporate/news/110728-a.html

The Qi interface specification, formally called

System Description
Wireless Power Transfer
Volume I: Low Power
Part 1: Interface Definition

is available for download by the general public at http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/downloads/wireless-power-specification-part-1.html