Imagine if your smartphone was connected to Wi-Fi and was getting charged through the Wi-Fi signal. Sounds too sci-fi? Well, not anymore.
Researchers at MIT have developed a material that allows electronics to be powered completely through Wi-Fi signals. No battery needed, yeah.
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The breakthrough research is around developing a radio antenna with a brand new semiconductor material. This new rectenna, as it's called, is capable of capturing Wi-Fi signals it receives and convert them into wireless energy.
Thanks to this breakthrough, Wi-Fi can actually become a widespread energy source to power consumer electronic devices like smartphones, laptops and more.
"We have come up with a new way to power the electronics systems of the future, by harvesting Wi-Fi energy in a way that's easily integrated in large areas, to bring intelligence to every object around us," wrote?co-author of the paper Tom¨¢s Palacios.
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If you're wondering how Wi-Fi can generate electricity, here's a short explanation. MIT researchers achieved this breakthrough by developing a "novel device made out of a two-dimensional semiconductor just a few atoms thick" which connects to the radio antenna of any device like smartphone or laptop.
The AC signal travels into the semiconductor, which converts it into a DC voltage that could be used to power electronic circuits or recharge batteries, MIT wrote on its website.
Such a wireless charging system if widely deployed can not only power your handheld electronics, but can also transform the potential of Internet of Things devices, remote sensors, and deeply embedded devices who don't run on batteries.