They develop the first device to charge the cellphone with wifi – 08/02/2019

Imagine the hours of the day when you connect at home or work to a Wi-Fi network: What would happen if your mobile phone could charge the battery at every opportunity? The same is proposed by the Spanish engineer Tomás Palacios, from the team of researchers at the Mbadachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with a brand new totally flexible device.

It's a small device able to transform the electromagnetic waves of the wifi into electricity to charge the battery with cell phones, computers and all kinds of sensors and wearable technologies (such as smart watches).

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Although the invention of Palacios seems something new, it is nothing of it. The idea of ​​using these wireless signals as "chargers" of devices was already possible to achieve by special antennas called rectenas. That is, rectifying antennas capable of directly converting microwaves into direct current.

However, it is the first time you create a totally flexible device and without the need to use a large structure. All thanks to a new material called molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), one of the best semiconductors in the world.

As detailed by the Mbadachusetts Institute of Technology, the antenna picks up the Wi-Fi signal and connects to the device, which contains a semiconductor material. Then, the signal pbades through this material, which in turn converts these waves into electricity, which can be fed to recharge batteries or other circuits.

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"What we present is a new way to recharge the electronic systems of the future using the energy recovery of wifi signals, "says Palacios in an article published on the MIT blog.

In addition to phones, computers and smart watches, this fully flexible rectena can also be used in other types of devices, such as doctors.