#meredithperry

My cellphone battery dies ALL THE TIME and I know I’m not alone. Granted, we as a people have developed a habit of aggressively checking our phones for notifications but that’s beside the point. Is it too much to ask to not have to bring a charger or search for a power outlet whenever we go anywhere?

I get that phones die. To be dramatic, it’s a part of life. Although we don’t necessarily need smartphones, they’re undoubtedly dependable. Accepting an anticipated call is important. Ride share apps are convenient. Working out with music is better, arguably, but like obviously. Whatever the case may be, NO, it’s not too much to want to avoid missing out on these things (among others) due to a failed battery and a company named UBeam is working to eliminate this annoying charging issue. Hallelujah.

Founded by Meredith Perry, the start-up calls the advancement a technology revolution that will power smartphones over the air using ultra sound waves to charge multiple phones at once. Allow me to put this into hypothetical perspective.

Airports.

Flying is cool but it can also suck, especially waiting to board the aircraft. There's lots to take into consideration but having power on your phone is high on the list. Whether you want to listen to music, watch a movie, play games, be antisocial or just communicate further travel accommodations once landed - all require your phone to stay on.

Airports have minimized their already poorly placed power outlet access and offered us charging stations. Only a savage select few get dibs on one of those suckers and it’s less gratifying and more of a claustrophobic encounter alongside power hungry people, tangled wires and bulky chargers in exchange for a subpar percent upgrade. Over it.

Envision a remote battery to sync your phone to (similar to how we connect WIFI) that allows charging while your phone remains in your hand.

In this completely fabricated scenario, your phone is at a non-ideal 5%. You look off into the distance and see charging stations. You pass. Just beyond that however you notice that your terminal has wireless charging capabilities! You go to your phone settings and locate one of the batteries, sync devices and your phone begins to charge.

UBeam’s approach is a variation of this – harnessing ultrasound and optical lasers to charge multiple phones at once at a distance up to 10 feet – for now. No more cords! No more outlets! 

With this technology, we could potentially board a plane and within seconds phones are getting juiced, connecting a beam of high frequency sound waves captured by a receiver and reconfigured as electricity. 

Perry explains that “it’s no longer about percentage, if your phone is charging while you’re using it, you could be at 1% all day” (given the battery is being used in a variety of venues such as coffee shops, vehicles, offices and so on).

I’m into it and I'd pay for the convenience.