The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) announced completion of several key milestones that will help bring a more flexible wireless power technology to the global marketplace. This includes growing its member base and working with members to approve and release A4WP's wireless power specification. Additionally, A4WP's branding committee prepares to unveil an official, go-to-market name and logo for its wireless power specification and to launch a parallel technical testing and certification program.
Engaging With Market Leaders in Mobile, Wireless and Automotive
Formed in May 2012, the A4WP is a global and independently operated consortium focused on bringing a more flexible wireless power technology to the consumer electronics and automotive marketplace. Today, the A4WP has grown to 30 members including Samsung Electronics, the global leader in mobile devices, and Broadcom, IDT, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, the world's top mobile semiconductor manufactures.
A Path Forward for Wireless Power
In October 2012, A4WP's technical working committee approved its flexible wireless power specification. On January 2, 2013, the board of directors approved the technical specification. The specification has been published and is available to all current A4WP members.
A4WP's next generation wireless power technology will give manufacturers and industrial designers greater flexibility when integrating wireless power into devices and surfaces, unlike previous generations of wireless power technologies. Key differentiators of A4WP technology include the following:
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Brings true spatial freedom to wireless charging
- Charge multiple devices anywhere on the charging area at the same time
- Charge multiple device types with different power requirements at the same time
- Charge devices without any physical contact within charge area
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Better support the real world manufacturing of wireless power applications in automobiles, furniture and other surfaces
- Meets strict form factor and operating characteristics of the most demanding mobile handset manufacturer
- Leverages existing wireless communication technologies (e.g., Bluetooth) to help minimize hardware requirements
- A video demonstrating A4WP's flexible wireless power can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/b9ppdn9
Next Steps for A4WP in 2013
With the formal approval of a wireless power specification, A4WP has established a certification working committee whose task is to define official processes and procedures to test and certify wireless power receivers and transmitters. This will involve the coordinated efforts of wireless power transfer manufacturers, test equipment manufacturers and leading independent test and certification laboratories.
A4WP has established a branding committee to oversee the development of a consumer-facing brand. This includes a formal naming convention. The new branding will allow consumers to easily identify A4WP certified wireless power enabled devices and charging locations.
"The Alliance for Wireless Power is focused on building out a non-radiative magnetic resonance-based wireless power transfer ecosystem beginning with the cellular and smartphone markets," said Dr. Kamil A. Grajski, president of A4WP. "With the version 1.0 technical specification approved, the A4WP is focused on removing barriers to adoption by the timely delivery of high quality test and minimum performance specifications, the launch of an independent certification program, and the definition and launch of a consumer-friendly certification logo and consumer brand."