Smart Table Based on Metasurface for Wireless Power Transfer

Metasurfaces have been investigated and its numerous exotic functionalities and the potentials to arbitrarily control of the electromagnetic fields have been extensively explored. However, only limited types of metasurface have finally entered into real products. Here, we introduce a concept of a metasurface-based smart table for wirelessly charging portable devices and report its first prototype. The proposed metasurface can efficiently transform evanescent fields into propagating waves which significantly improves the near field coupling to charge a receiving device arbitrarily placed on its surface wirelessly through magnetic resonance coupling. In this way, power transfer efficiency of 80$\%$ is experimentally obtained when the receiver is placed at any distances from the transmitter. The proposed concept enables a variety of important applications in the fields of consumer electronics, electric automobiles, implanted medical devices, etc. The further developed metasurface-based smart table may serve as an ultimate 2-dimensional platform and support charging multiple receivers.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Sustainable Radio Frequency Wireless Energy Transfer for Massive Internet of Things

Reliable energy supply remains a crucial challenge in the Internet of Things (IoT). Although relying on batteries is cost-effective for a few devices, it is neither a scalable nor a sustainable charging solution as the network grows massive. Besides, current energy-saving technologies alone cannot cope, for instance, with the vision of zero-energy devices and the deploy-and-forget paradigm which can unlock a myriad of new use cases. In this context, sustainable radio frequency wireless energy transfer emerges as an attractive solution for efficiently charging the next generation of ultra low power IoT devices. Herein, we highlight that sustainable charging is broader than conventional green charging, as it focuses on balancing economy prosperity and social equity in addition to environmental health. Moreover, we overview the key enablers for realizing this vision and associated challenges. We discuss the economic implications of powering energy transmitters with ambient energy sources, and reveal insights on their optimal deployment. We highlight relevant research challenges and candidate solutions.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, submitted to IEEE Internet of Things Journa

Research through Design of Bendable Interactive Playing Cards

Ph.D