Many of us can now wirelessly stream images from a computer to a screen over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi without too much trouble, but the display is still inevitably powered by cables. At CeBIT 2011,
Fujitsu is showing off a working prototype of a 22-inch computer display that receives both images and power wirelessly. The power transfer is made possible by magnetic induction technology – similar to Powermat chargers – that’s concentrated into hotspots built into office furniture or conference tables.
I remember being somewhat disappointed when I bought my first wireless telephone. Although there were no cables connecting the handset to the base, there were still numerous wires joining the base to the power outlet and the telephone socket, and there was even one dangling down the back to provide a better signal.
Happily, wireless technology has moved on somewhat since then and we’re now at a point where our homes are filled to the brim with computing solutions that connect to the internet without needing to be positioned next to a router, televisions and audio systems that can play digital media from a box located in another part of the house and mobile phones that can be charged by placing them on a special mat.
Now Fujitsu, working with the Fraunhofer Institute and other German partners under a project funded by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs, has developed a completely wireless solution for the provision of power and images to a computer display