Wireless charging over the air

Archos, a French electronics company, has announced that it will integrate Ossia’s Cota true wireless power system in consumer products by next year, after EU approval of wireless charging over the air and at any distance.

Cota transmits power over the air, over a long distance, and without requiring line of sight. Ossia, based in Washington, claims to be altering the world with wireless power by removing devices from wires and decreasing or eliminating the need for batteries.

Ossia’s Cota technology, which is positioned as a worldwide standard for wireless power at a distance, might soon be in every home, office, car, store, and place, allowing for device placement flexibility, device innovation, and the elimination of battery anxiety for personal gadgets. According to the company, the wireless power system will lower the carbon footprint created by an invasion of devices that require cables and enormous, expensive batteries.

Archos will offer items that are used every day, at home or on the go, and require constant charging, such as indoor wireless cameras. Consumers will be able to position this camera discreetly anyplace in the home for security or peace of mind, without the need to attach a cable or worry about keeping it charged.

Consumers will be able to check the air quality and temperature in any room using air quality and temperature stations. It will stay charged at all times, regardless of whether it is moved from room to room or where the station is positioned in the home.

A smart tracker may be easily hooked on any pet’s necklace or carried in any bag, and it will automatically locate itself and be wirelessly charged for a few days of use.

With battery life increasingly becoming a top consideration for customers, a wristwatch with GPS, pedometer, ECG, blood pressure, sleep quality, SOS, and other features can incorporate power over the air and never require a cable to charge.

Each device will be Cota-enabled, allowing it to receive power over the air without the requirement of wires, batteries, or charging pads. Archos chose the Cota system because of its capacity to autonomously monitor a device to send and receive information without the use of complex algorithms or the need to shut down when the delivery line is disrupted, as well as its ability to send RF-based power while avoiding people and pets.

The Cota-enabled devices will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January, according to Archos and Ossia.

“This is the first time the general public will be able to experience the convenience and efficiency of wirelessly powered devices,” said Loic Poirier, CEO of Archos. “After much research, we have determined that Ossia’s Cota is best in class and the only technology that can work safely and effectively for advanced consumer IoT applications. This working partnership is a revolutionary step for consumer electronics, and the products we have planned for launch are only the beginning.”

Archos has begun to develop strategies for designing, integrating, and manufacturing Cota-enabled consumer items. It will begin commercial product development of Cota-enabled products with the 5.8GHz Cota system once it is done, with a planned delivery date of 2022. Early demonstrations of this product development will be presented at CES and at a media event in Paris in early 2022.

“As a leader of electronics innovation in the European market and beyond, Archos is a natural working partner to bring Cota-enabled products to consumers,” said Doug Stovall, CEO of Ossia. “Product innovation, especially with smart home devices and other IoT, has been severely limited by the constraints of batteries, wired charging pads and charging downtime. Cota real wireless power is the only way to not only decrease our environmental footprint but to also enable the next wave of smart and connected consumer products, as well as commercial IoT with its billions of sensors.”

Archos is a pan-European leader in the consumer IoT sector, with headquarters in France and offices around Europe and Asia. Ossia, based in Washington state, is authorized to license its Cota technology in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and, most recently, Australia and New Zealand.