What does an artificial heart and a drone have in common? Well, for the founders of WiBotic, they have a lot in common. As an undergraduate engineering student at the University of Washington, Ben Waters was fortunate to have an internship at Intel Labs. Here he began working with Professor Joshua Smith on wireless power transfer technology. After Graduating, Ben joined Professor Smith at his UW lab, the Sensor Systems Laboratory, to continue the research they had begun at Intel.

As Ben’s Ph.D. project, he worked closely with Professor Smith developing Free-range Resonant Electrical Energy Delivery (FREE-D). The system uses magnetically coupled resonators to wirelessly transmit power across a distance to an artificial heart. Replacing the need for heart transplant patients having their hearts recharged via a wire implanted in their chest. This wire notoriously leads to 75% of heart transplant patients having Exit Site infections. Being able to wirelessly charge a heart by simply wearing a special vest and being near a charging station could drastically improve a patient’s quality of life.

FREE-D quickly caught the attention of robotic and drone manufacturers who were in constant search of better power sources. One of the biggest engineering issues faced by drone designers is that a drone can only support a battery that can provide a short flight time. Most off the shelf drones can only fly for 15-20 minutes. Some larger commercial drones can fly for 30 minutes. New fuel/battery hybrid drones are being made that can fly much longer. However, these hybrids are not as reliable or cost efficient. With growing interest in FREE-D, Ben and Professor Smith co-founded WiBotic in 2015.

Based out of Seattle, Washington, WiBotic develops innovative charging platforms for aerial and aquatic drones, as well as any robotics system. The WiBotic charging system is a 3 tiered process. First is the system’s transmitters that can use any power source to wirelessly transmit a power signal. This signal travels to an antenna that can be mounted to a wall or on a drone landing pad. The next level, and what WiBotic calls the heart of the system, is the onboard charger. It is a small circuit that collects the wirelessly transmitted power and converts it to apply to any type of battery. The onboard charger also ensures that power use is optimized for a longer battery charge and lifespan.

The final aspect of the WiBotic system is the control panel software, a customizable monitoring and configuration software package. Included with all WiBotic systems, the software “is a simple web interface that allows operators to monitor the live charging process. It also lets users modify and customize charging parameters such as voltage and current for each robot if desired,” as explained on the company website.

Many industries have become reliant on robotics and drones for doing jobs that are dangerous and cost companies a lot of time and money. While drones are filling niches for these companies, their main drawback is limited flight time. “Using WiBotic wireless power and battery intelligence solutions,” the company states, “you can greatly enhance the working efficiency of your robot fleets and save significant money in charging and maintenance costs.” Multiple drones, or robots, can easily approach a WiBotic charging station without even needing to physically connect with the station. Wireless distance charging can enable continuous drone and robotic fleet operations.

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