Smartphones are just one of the many tools we can use when documenting our adventures. Along with social media, these devices have enabled us to record and share our trips across the world in real time. Since these gadgets have become an integral part of our daily lives, many travelers find themselves stuffing their backpacks with cables and wires. However, wireless charging may change all of this.
Wireless charging pads have been available for Android phones and iPhones for a while now. Public spaces such as coffee shops, hotels, and airports have also adopted wireless charging technology. As wireless chargers continuously spread across different platforms and areas, we could soon see this device everywhere because of the convenience it provides.
In this article, we explore how this innovation makes our life better and more comfortable. But first, knowing what wireless charging is all about can provide us with a better idea of how it can help our society.
What is Wireless Charging?
Wireless charging is an alternative way of charging battery-powered gadgets without the need for an electrical cord. A charging node or device transfers electrical charge wirelessly to the gadget that needs to be recharged. This process is possible via electromagnetic induction, which utilizes electromagnetic waves to recharge smartphones. Place your device on top of a charging pad that’s connected to a wall socket for it to charge.
How Wireless Charging Benefits Society
Convenience
Perhaps the best way wireless charging technology benefits society is the convenience it offers. Frayed and tangled cords are not going to be a problem anymore and make charging simpler by just placing your phone on the charging station.
Multiple devices can also be charged simultaneously using wireless charging pads. This means you can charge smartphones, laptops, and tablets at the same time without having to carry numerous wires and cables with you at home or elsewhere. Furthermore, production of power cords will also be reduced which in turn lessens the waste produced in making these cords.
Eliminate Disposable Batteries
While rechargeable AA or AAA batteries exist, none of these significantly took off with consumers. Billions of alkaline batteries are still being thrown in landfills every year. Wireless chargers may be the environmental alternative to reduce chemical wastes from batteries moving forward.
These types of batteries are often used in devices that are close to its power supply. With wireless charging stations, replacing batteries like these would be reduced. For devices like flashlights or cameras, a permanent rechargeable battery could be utilized without cords.
Reduce Wear & Tear on Cables
For iPhone users, the AirPower charger—the brand’s wireless charging unit—would allow them to use fewer cables. Before the iPhone X and iPhone 8, past units required a particular case to be charged on a wireless charging port. Now, the AirPower charger only needs the device to be on top of it to start charging. Wear from constant plugging and unplugging of wires are going to be significantly reduced and shows how sustainable wireless charging technology can be.
Ubiquity
In 2014, Starbucks added charging stations to their coffee shops in San Francisco to alleviate their customers’ “battery anxiety.” As mentioned above, wireless charging stations are starting to be integrated into more cafes, restaurants, hotels, and other public spaces.
What makes these public wireless charging stations better is that you don’t have to worry about getting your phone infected by malware when plugging into an unknown cable in public ports. Additionally, bringing large backup batteries aren’t necessary anymore since you can place your phone in these safe, wireless charging mats and let your phone charge throughout the day.
Wireless Vehicle Charging is the Future
Wireless charging has also been integrated into various forms of transportation for some time now. You can find wireless charging pads for phones built in numerous car models. However, this technology has also found its way in charging electric vehicles wirelessly throughout the years.
In 2013, South Korea developed a 7.5-mile road that wirelessly charges their Online Electric Vehicle Project (OLEV) buses. These electric public buses function using an innovative shaped electromagnetic field in resonance technology, which allows these vehicles to acquire energy whether they’re moving or not. This was an eco-friendly and pollution-free technological breakthrough.
Recently, engineers from the University of Colorado have also been developing ways for electric vehicles to charge on the road wirelessly. These researchers aim to let electric cars drive for hundreds to thousands of miles while drawing wireless power from plates that are installed on the road.
So while we use this piece of technology for our mobile devices during our travels, we might eventually see wireless charging systems being utilized everywhere, from public spaces like restaurants and coffee shops to the forms of transportation we use in our everyday lives.
On these days wireless charger is trending and it’s a great innovation for future. Thanks for sharing.