The RCA Airnergy Charges Gadgets Using Energy Harvested From Wi-Fi Hotspots

Trying to get noticed at CES is a nearly impossible task, but the RCA Airnergy certainly caught my attention when I was sifting through the list of the most interesting devices I saw from the show floor. The idea behind the Airnergy is both fiendishly simple, and infinitely useful all at the same time. To put it simply, they are able to convert Wi-Fi signals into energy at a high enough efficiency level that you can actually use it to wirelessly charge your gadgets.

The technology can either be bundled into an external enclosure as shown above, or even integrated directly into a replacement battery for your phone. The external enclosure version charges up an internal battery whenever it finds a hotspot, and will discharge upon command to any USB powered device it is plugged into. Gizmodo claims it was able to charge a Blackberry Bold all the way from 30% to full power in less than 90 minutes using only Wi-Fi harvested energy.

So far so good right, but what about the price? RCA claims it will be available by the summer, and they are aiming at an MSRP of around $40 for the external enclosure version, and around $60 built into a replacement battery for your cell phone. Imagine a day when you can actually charge your laptop simply by surfing the web on a wireless network. They have a long way to go before they get that efficient, but its a pretty cool concept for mobile gadgets all the same.

Anyone else excited by this one? Check out the interview video below.

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Author:Justin Kerr