February 2, 2005. Copyright 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved

The pad with the power to ease your day
By Mark Rutter

LONDON, February 2, Graphic News:  Ever had trouble locating and matching the correct charger to a particular electronic gadget? A solution to one of the most irritating facets of modern-day living could soon arrive in the form of a small pad able to charge several electronic devices at once.

Splashpower, a technology company started up from Cambridge University, anticipates having its ÒSplashpadÓ in the shops by the end of 2005. The company has filed a series of patents explaining the process behind the technology. It also appointed Michiaki Tsurumi, the former President of and current adviser to Sony Europe, to its Board of Directors in April 2004.

The wireless charger for portable devices such as mobile phones, palm top computers and portable games consoles, is about the size of a standard mouse mat. Charging involves simply placing the device to be charged on to the surface of the SplashPad, which can be powered from a standard electrical socket or a car cigarette lighter socket.

The SplashPad works by generating a low-power electro-magnetic field through a series of coils contained within it. This is then transmitted to a coil-containing device attached to the appliance to begin the charging process. Any appliance to be charged therefore would need to have a built-in receiver compatible with the SplashPad, so you would be unable to charge existing equipment using the system.

So before it can be marketed, Splashpower has to convince the makers of electronic devices of the benefits of its invention. The company says that it is currently negotiating licenses with six electronics companies to fit receivers into their next generation products. It believes that several will sign up in the near future, hence the optimism that the charger will go on sale by the end of the year.
/ENDS