At CES 2010, RCA was showing a prototype of a handheld energy-harvesting battery designed to convert energy transmitted in a Wi-Fi signal into DC power. The device, called the Airnergy, uses an antenna and circuitry to harvest the energy and an internal battery to store the electrical charge. Reportedly, the company was able to charge a BlackBerry from 30 percent to full charge in about 90 minutes using the Wi-Fi signal at CES. The company’s goal is to have a product that’s smaller than a smartphone and has a mini USB port in the market this summer in the range of $40 to $50. Next year, RCA would like to integrate the energy harvesting into a battery that could act as a replacement for cell phone batteries for the same cost as a replacement. This is definitely one cool product to look out for in 2010. I’d love to hear how effective this system is once it actually hits market.
via cnet