A US start-up has developed a case for the iPhone 6 that can extend its battery life using thin air.
Ohio-based Nikola Labs showed off the new technology at the TechCrunch Disrupt event, in hopes of revolutionising the way we charge mobile devices.
The case converts radio frequencies, for instance Wi-Fi signals, into electricity, which in turn powers up the iPhone 6.
“
“Our technology is a breakthrough technology that converts radio frequency energy transmitted by mobile devices into extra battery power for that device.”
Wireless charging is quickly becoming a mainstream way to juice up smartphone batteries, but the technology is still heavily limited by range.
If Nikola Labs can hone the air-powered charging tech, being bound to mains sockets and wireless pads could one day be a thing of the past.
Related: iPhone 6 Plus review
“We allow you to download power from the air,” continued Zell. “Our case is embedded with a harvesting antenna that is proprietary that captures wasted RF energy and then takes it through a conversion process to convert it into electricity, then dumps it back into the phone.”
Unfortunately, the power drawn from the air still isn’t enough to actually charge the phone up by any significant degree.
This means that while your phone will purportedly be able to last 30 per cent longer, the device won’t actually increase in charge.
Nikola Labs hopes its iPhone 6 charging cases will hit the market within the next 12 months.
A Kickstarter campaign is due to launch next month that will hopefully bring the device to fruition.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
