New Breakthrough, WiFi Signals Can Charge Smartphone Battery!

Even though the wireless charging technology hype has only just grown, there have now been new breakthroughs to utilize WiFi signals for smartphone battery cas and other electronic equipment!
Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found a new method for charging. They succeeded in making a device capable of converting energy from a WiFi signal to power to recharge the battery of an electronic device.

This type of device made by MIT researchers is called 'rectenna', which is capable of converting AC electromagnetic waves into DC electricity. So, what makes their findings different from the general rectenna?

The research team claims that this is a new type of rectenna that uses radio frequency antennas to capture electromagnetic waves, in this case WiFi, as an AC wave. They explained in a report published in the journal Nature.

The antenna is then connected to the device with the semiconductor in it. The AC signal goes into the semiconductor whose job is to convert it to DC power so that it can then be used to charge the battery.

In the initial stages, a number of promising applications for this device are called to target medical, LED and sensor requirements for internet of things (IoT) devices. Furthermore, besides being flexible, this new generation rectenna is also claimed to be mass-produced to cover a large area.
This device alone can generate power of around 40 microwatts from WiFi signals in general (around 150 microwatts). That's more than enough to turn on the LED or charge the chip.

For a smartphone battery size is indeed small. However, MIT said the efficiency level could reach 40%, depending on WiFi signal strength.

It is interesting to wait for the continuation of this device. It is not impossible, this new generation rectenna can later be used to charge smartphones, tablets, and wearable batteries.