I can not wait until this becomes widespread, imagine the product possibilities. Right now it is in it’s infancy, so of course the products look like crap, but give it time.
Desks of the future may charge electronic devices;
Visteon is developing similar application for vehicles
In the office of the future, people who can’t live without cell phones, BlackBerrys and iPods will be able to charge these devices just by putting them on their desks. Office furniture manufacturer Herman Miller has a license from Fulton Innovation for “eCoupled,” a system that eliminates the need for dedicated chargers. A desk equipped with eCoupled would save money on adapters.
Fulton Innovation is a subsidiary of Alticor, parent of network marketing company Amway. The eCoupled product transfers power through a magnetic field, so only the eCoupled device itself needs electricity. Everything else charges upon contact with the magnetic field.
Splashpower sells similar technology for portable electronic devices, but Fulton Innovation sees a cordless world with eCoupled powering everything from cell phones to blenders to lamps. Herman Miller is embedding eCoupled in desktops and considering other uses, according to Mark Schurman, a company spokesman. He wouldn’t say when the desk might make it to market, or how much it would cost.
Auto parts supplier Visteon and telephone maker Motorola are also working with eCoupled, says David Hazlett, of Fulton Innovation.
Visteon is planning a summer 2007 release of a charger that plugs into a car’s cigarette lighter and will cost less than US$100, said Melissa Andrade, a company spokesperson.
However, no mobile devices will have eCoupled built in by that time, so Visteon customers would have to purchase an adapter from Mobility Electronics. Available in summer 2007, the adapter will be able to work with Motorola phones, Apple iPod Shuffle and other gadgets. Phone manufacturers are expected to embed eCoupled soon after Visteon releases its product. (Reuters)
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