Now you can charge any phone UNDERWATER, even if it isn't waterproof: Protective case wirelessly powers devices through liquid

Home »Now you can charge any phone UNDERWATER, even if it isn't waterproof: Protective case wirelessly powers devices through liquid

Now you can charge any phone UNDERWATER, even if it isn't waterproof: Protective case wirelessly powers devices through liquid

Posted by sciencetech-blog on Thursday, December 11, 2014 Label:

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The days of scrambling for a phone charger are coming to an end, as more people embrace wireless charging technology.

And now it's been proven that an iPhone can even be charged underwater, using a wireless pad and a mobile receiver fitted inside a waterproof Nuud Lifeproof case.

The iPhone 5 handset was sealed inside the case, along with a receiver, and dropped onto a wireless charging pad into a tub of liquid.

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Life aquatic: It's been proven that an iPhone can be charged underwater, using a wireless pad and a mobile receiver fitted inside a waterproof Nuud Lifeproof case (pictured)

The plate stayed dry because it was plugged in beneath the container, and the phone then recharged slowly, like any other smartphone.

Bavan Palasanthiran, Founder of FoneSalesman.com, based in Harrow, Greater London, conducted the experiment to prove the firm's iQi Mobile Receiver can be used inside a sealed case.

Measuring just half a millimetre thick, the receiver is designed to be used with any wireless pad.

It sits under a soft case, or Lifeproof case, plugging into an iPhone's Lightning connector port.

It uses a theory initially suggested by Nikola Tesla, who demonstrated the principle of wireless charging at the turn of the century.

Phone is wirelessly charged through WATER

Experimental: The iPhone 5 handset was sealed inside a waterproof case and dropped into a tub of water (pictured left), so it landed on top of the wireless charging pad. The pad stayed dry because it was plugged in beneath the container (right)

Bavan Palasanthiran, Founder of FoneSalesman.com, based in Harrow, Greater London, conducted the experiment to prove the firm's receiver can be used inside a sealed case. Measuring just half a millimetre thick, the iQi Mobile Receiver (pictured) is designed to be used with any wireless pad

HOW WIRELESS CHARGING WORKS

The technology and theory behind wireless charging was initially suggested by Nikola Tesla, who demonstrated the principle of wireless charging at the turn of the century.

Wireless charging, also known as inductive charging, requires two coils: a transmitter and a receiver.

An alternating current is passed through the transmitter coil, generating a magnetic field.

This in turn induces a voltage in the receiver coil; this can be used to power a mobile device or charge a battery.

It requires two coils - a transmitter and a receiver.

An alternating current is passed through the transmitter coil, generating a magnetic field.

This in turn induces a voltage in the receiver coil, which can be used to power a mobile device or charge a battery.

In the case of the iQi device, the transmitter coil is thin because the circuits are printed, enabling it to fit inside a phone case and be almost 'invisible'.

'The technology's improving, but we're still at phase one,' Mr Palasanthiran told MailOnline.

He expects we'll be able to charge our smartphones at greater distances wirelessly within the next decade.

He added it is the first time, to his knowledge that wireless technology, has been used to charge a phone underwater, because 'no-one else makes this kind of receiver that can fit under a Lifeproof case,' enabling an iPhone to stay dry and fully functional.

He believes there is demand for the technology, which may appeal to divers and seamen.

While the technology has many benefits in a watery environment, Mr Palasanthiran said that it is around 75 per cent efficient compared to simply charging a phone from a plug socket.

The iQi receiver costs £14.99 and does not come with a wireless charging pad, or Lifeproof case.

Invisible: The thin receiver sits under a soft case, or Lifeproof case, plugging into an iPhone's Lightning connector port (pictured)

WIRELESS CHARGER CAN POWER AN IPHONE WHILE IT'S IN YOUR POCKET

Scientists in the US have developed a device that could charge your phone at a distance - even while it's still in your pocket – so you will never run out of juice again.

The prototype MagMIMO wireless charger can charge an iPhone 4 battery in five hours, at a distance of 12 inches (30cm) away, it was reported in September.

While wireless chargers already exist, they require a phone to be placed directly on a charging 'pad' so users still have to remember to charge their phones and place them on the device in the right way.

Dina Katabi, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who is behind the new technology, told New Scientist: 'In our vision we wanted to have people's phone charge the minute they are sitting next to their desk: they go to a meeting, they come back, the phone starts charging again.'

The prototype uses a magnetic coil to beam energy to a phone around 12 inches away and it doesn't matter how the phone is positioned – so it could be lying on a desk or in someone's pocket.

The idea is that coils could one day be placed around homes and offices to top up the batteries of devices detected nearby.

'MagMIMO consumes as much power as existing solutions, yet it can charge a phone remotely without being removed from the user's pocket,' Dr Katabi and her team wrote in a paper which they shared at the International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking in Maui, Hawaii.

MagMIMO's transmitter has a number of coils inside to that generate a magnetic field.

When a phone enters that field, its presence is detected by the transmitter.

It then focuses its energy on the phone that is within range by generating varying frequencies.

This creates a stronger overall magnetic field that can reach the phone.

It's hoped that the technology could help speed the take-up of smart watches, which will likely need to be charged daily, such as the Apple Watch, which supports wireless charging.

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