While doing some early spring cleaning, I realized that cords have turned my household into a war zone of wire. The whereabouts of cellphone cords, in particular, has been responsible for more than a few disputes. This may sound familiar: You leave your cord plugged in where you always plug it in, then poof … it mysteriously disappears. I’ve found my cellphone cord in my daughter’s backpack, in the outlet behind my son’s bed, inside glove boxes, on the floor of the bathroom … you get the picture.
Based on this battle of the cords, the idea of being able to charge my phone and other mobile devices cord-free and without a charging station is immensely appealing. Ossia has developed an innovative solution that does away with the clutter in the form of a ceiling tile. Installed in the ceiling, the Cota Tile delivers power to smartphones and other devices wirelessly. You simply walk into a room with your phone and the Cota Tile goes to work, charging
devices akin to the way Wi-Fi routers provide Internet access. Up to four Cota Tiles can be linked to increase the range of a single charge point.
There’s just one hitch: Your phone must be embedded with a Cota receiver for the transfer of power to happen. But stay tuned: Ossia has released a development kit for manufacturers to implement the technology into devices the range from smartphones to smoke detectors and speakers. Products could start hitting the marketplace this year.
This article was originally published by our content partner Electronic House.
