Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) is experimenting with an innovative charging system that would work using ambient radio waves, the weak signals released by radio, television, and mobile devices that surround us permanently, according to a report from Duncan Graham-Rowe of The Guardian.
Nokia developed a prototype of the innovative charging system
The report indicated that the Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) research station in Cambridge, United Kingdom has already developed a prototype of the innovative charging system. One of the researchers who created the device, Markku Rouvala, said it is capable of collecting a small amount of power, but enough to power a mobile phone in a standby mode indefinitely without plugging it to the main electric source.
A similar technology is currently applied in the Oyster cards used by commuters in London. The radio waves coming from reader devices provide power to the cards as they are swiped in the machine. In addition, radio waves are also used in old crystal radio sets, and modern radio frequency identification tags, which are used in shipping and anti theft devices.
According to Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V), its prototype charging system has the ability to collect a larger amount of energy (a thousand times more) from signals miles away compared with other devices that can only harvest a few microwatts of power.
Markku Rouvala explains collecting power from signals
Rouvala explained that the energy available in every signal is tiny, but collecting the available radio waves in a wide range of frequencies adds up. He said they managed to harvest as much as 5 milliwatts of energy. According to him, the technique in collecting power from signals is to ensure that the circuits use lesser power that what they receive.
The researcher emphasized that their primary objective for the new charging system is to be able to collect enough power, more than 20 milliwatts, to keep a phone in a standby mode indefinitely without recharging it by plugging into the main electric source. According to Rouvala, this amount of power is enough to make a phone call or receive a call.
Rouvala said Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) aims to develop the new charging system, wherein it would be able to collect as much as 50 milliwatts to be able to recharge the battery of a mobile phone slowly.
Remarkable achievement for Nokia
Steve Beeby, an expert in collecting ambient energy at the University of Southampton, commented that if Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) succeeds in its objective, it would be a remarkable achievement. He said, “”Radio frequency power falls off exponentially with distance.”
Nikola Tesla was the person who demonstrated the transfer of energy wirelessly in 1893. He tried to build an intercontinental transmission tower to send energy across the Atlantic.
Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) is already selling smartphones integrated with wireless charging, such as the Lumia 925, Lumia 920, and Lumia 820.
