Researchers from the Physics and Engineering Department at ITMO University created a wireless charging device that can charge devices from various manufacturers at once, achieving simultaneous power transfer at various frequencies thanks to the device's metasurface.
Each manufacturer creates a unique charger connector or power transfer standard for their devices. Consequently, an iPhone user cannot wirelessly charge an iPhone at the same time as an Android user because the devices have different frequency requirements.
To change that, the researchers developed a new metasurface that can be used as a transmitter in a wireless power transfer system to charge several devices at once. It is made of specially arranged conductors connected to capacitors that tune into the required frequency.
The metasurface can spread out on a large area, like a table or a nightstand, to create a large charger and features unique properties, including reverse frequency dispersion that is effectively applied during the wireless power transfer. The structure has several resonant frequencies with a uniform magnetic field, enabling the wireless energy transfer and the electric fields are hidden at the edges of the structure.
The team created a prototype of the metasurface and studied its properties with different frequencies. Scientists said that they need to evaluate the level of decrease in the electric field to make it safer and faster.
This project was part of a smart table project at the ITMO University Department of Physics and Engineering.
A paper on the metasurface was published in Applied Physics Letters.
