New wireless charging pads can simultaneously charge multi-brand devices

Energysquare's ultra-thin wireless charging pad can simultaneously charge multiple branded devices Energysquare

Have you ever whipped out your phone to take a picture of that beautiful sunset only to find that sometime during the day it died on you? Among the many challenges people face everyday, one of the most frustrating perhaps is the low battery curse to befall one's phone. If you're among the many who are loath to carry the forever entangled phone charger, then French startup Energysquare's new wireless charging device is just what you need in life. The ultra-thin charging device is capable of simultaneously charging multiple devices of various brands.

The charging device is basically a thin flat pad on which one can simply place their smartphones to get them charging. Energysquare's Thibaut Guedou told IBTimes UK the charging pad comes in two sizes, the smaller of which is simply dubbed SquareOne and the larger SquareTwo. The device also comes with a sticker that users need to attach to the back of their phones before placing them on the wireless charging pad, which connects the phone to the flat surface to commence charging.

Energysquare hopes to integrate its sticker technology onto phones in the future, eliminating the need for a sticker Energysquare

While some users may be wary of attaching a sticker onto their phones, it is in fact key to the mechanism that helps the device function. Guedou said: "It is the sticker that makes it possible for us to be compatible with phones of various brands. For now we have 3 types of sticker: one with a micro-USB connector (for all Android devices), one with a lightning connector (for iPhones) and one with a USB Type-C connector (for the next iMac). You just need to plug the sticker in the charging socket of your phone, and then put your phone anywhere on the surface.

"The sticker has two conductive electrodes linked to your device's battery. Those two electrodes are needed in order to charge it. We you put your phone/tablet equipped with the sticker on the charging pad, the surface detects the sticker (it is a patented technology) and then the charge begins."

Explaining the motivation and purpose of creating such a device, Guedou said there were "two simple observations" behind this project — "Our phones spend a lot of time simply resting on flat surfaces and everyone has battery issues with their phones and when you most need it, your phone battery is never fully charged (because you didn't have the right cable, you forgot to charge your phone, etc.)."

"That is why we decided to create this flat surface on which you simply put your phone. Thanks to Energysquare, you can charge your device without even thinking about it. Your phone is still laying on a flat surface but now it charges. The entire Energysquare project relies on a balance between an engineer's and a designers' vision," he added.

A noteworthy aspect of the wireless charging device is that it uses conducting technology instead of the more commonly used induction technology. When asked why Energysquare chose not to take the path well trodden, Guedou explained: "We chose to use conduction for many reasons. Thanks to conduction, there are no energy losses and no electromagnetic waves emission, which is fairly common in induction. When you use the inductive charging technology, you have to pay attention to the way you put your phone on the charger. You have to be above a precise point in order to charge your device efficiently. If you are 5mm away from this point, your device won't charge or will charge but with energy losses and very slowly. Thanks to our product, you can put your device anywhere on the surface, as long as our two conductive dots are in contact with our surface, the charge will occur without energy losses and with the same efficiency.

Energysquare's wireless charging pad is capable of charging phones four times faster than traditional chargers Apple

"We can charge devices up to 4 times faster than with a charger using induction and the device is compatible with every Apple and Android devices existing on the market. It means you do not need to do anything on your battery in order to make our solution compatible with your phone. What you need is to equip your phone/tablet with one of our sticker that you install on the back of your device."

The stickers, however, may be a temporary aspect of the device as Energysquare has already developed iPhone cases that have integrated the stickers technology. The firm also hopes to phase out the stickers in the future by integrating the technology into the phones themselves. Although the startup is currently focusing on its kick-starter campaign, it has big plans for the future and hopes to soon also be compatible with other electronic devices like laptops and even drones. Energysquare envisions embedding and integrating its charging technology right into furnitures and phones. "We believe, for example, that Energysquare would be perfect for meeting rooms of the future. Our surface would be integrated in the table and everyone in the room would be able to charge their devices just by putting them on the table," said Guedou.

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