Powermat, Denpeki target "house without wires"

NETANYA, Israel — Startup Powermat (Neve Ilan, Israel) and Denpeki Kaihatsu KK, a Japanese developer of construction products, have teamed to develop and install wireless energy capability in surfaces including walls, floors and ceilings.

Powermat claims that its technology makes it possible for electronic devices to be used without the need for socket-based or battery-based power.

Using principles of magnetic induction, Powermat's technology transmits electrical power via an ultra thin mat embedded in — or overlaid on — a work surface or wall, to portable electronic devices placed randomly anywhere on the surface.

Powermat and Denpeki will develop and commercialize the SmartWall, an industrial sheetrock that will be embedded with Powermat's wireless technology.

According to the companies, the SmartWall, with the ability to transmit wireless power and data to receivers connected to or embedded in electronic devices of all types, enables virtually any surface throughout the house to become an alternate method for power distribution that replaces electrical sockets and docking stations.

According to Shimon Romach, Commissioner of the National Fire and Rescue Service of Israel, "most residential fires are rooted in an electrical cause like short circuited electrical connections, deteriorating wire insulating materials, grounding faults, defects in electrical appliances, or an overheated device left unattended. By introducing an alternate method for energy distribution that operates by means of a completely different infrastructure, the incidence of home-based fires will dramatically decrease."

As a result, the companies say, it will be possible to charge a cell phone or laptop simply by placing it on the desk or night table or running a flat screen television, a digital clock, and an internally-lit picture frame directly through the living room wall.