Innovations & technologies

New Wi-fi technology transmits both energy and Internet from one router

While the idea of electricity flowing wirelessly through the air might sound more than a little alarming, the minimal amounts of current generated by PoWiFi offer no cause for concern. They could, however, be ideal for meeting the needs of low-power sensors in small devices like cameras and fitness trackers (but not smartphones and more powerful equipment, which require more juice).

In developing PoWiFi, the researchers found that the peak energy contained in regular Wi-Fi signals is sufficient to charge or run these kinds of low-power gadgets, but due to the way the signals are only sent intermittently, energy leakage inevitably occurs.