Wireless charging looks to humanoid robots
An Israeli startup is exploring the use of wireless charging to reduce the size and weight of batteries use din humanoid robots.
CaPow has developed an RF energy transfer system that can be used with simple sheets of metal on the floor or even conductive ink.
“Humanoid robots will definitely be the next growing market to achieve fully autonomous warehouses,” said Prof Mor Peretz, co-founder and CEO of CaPow. These could be powered through their feet using this system.
Read more about the CaPow technology in our CEO interview on eeNews Power
The 500W system trickle charges the batteries and could also replace them with supercapacitors. The size and weight of the batteries to power the high torque motors in humanoid robots is a key consideration, and this system can reduce the battery pack requirements for more mobile robots.
“We did a demo with a robot dog patrolling a line, so we figured out a better way to charge them,” he said.
The CaPow system does not need accurate alignment between the charging plates, and is self tuning, avoiding the need for a separate RF communications link. The system also boosts the lifetime of the batteries by ensuring they only charge between set levels, such a s 30 to 70%. This can extend the battery life by a factor of three, says Peretz.
The wireless charging system has early approval in the US and is undergoing several pilots for unmanned ground vehicles (AGV) for industrial automation. CE approval for Europe is expected in June says Peretz.
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