Xiaomi announces remote wireless device charging

Move over Wardenclyffe Tower, smartphone maker Xiaomi is bringing wireless electricity to the masses.

Well maybe.

The Chinese tech giant Xiaomi recently announced its new Mi Air Charge technology which boasts the ability to charge compatible devices just by being near them.

The tech is said to work by using an array made up of 144 antennas in the charging unit. This works with beacon antennas and an array of receiving antennas in the device to be charged. The charging unit uses this set up to detect the device and then beamforms directly to it, while the phone converts the wave signals to electric energy using a rectifier circuit.

In practice this means you can just stand within a few metres of the charging pile and have your device charge. Even while you’re using it.

Xiaomi claims its Mi Air Charge can pump out 5-watt remote charging and also support multiple devices at once. The company has plans to have the tech work with plenty of things besides phones. Wearable devices like smart watches, or even bigger products, like speakers and lamps.

But unfortunately there’s no date for when we see this in consumer products.

But, if the tech is as promising as Xiaomi claims, this could mean the start of a cable free life. Plus South Australia is killing it when it comes to renewable solar energy. Nikola Tesla would be proud.