Ikea’s furniture, which it calls its
“Home Smart” line, will integrate the popular Qi wireless charging
technology into special “charging pads” on the furniture. People will
then be able to buy and assemble the furniture and leave their
Qi-supported devices on those pads for a quick battery charge.
Smartphones that don’t support Qi will be
incompatible with this furniture. The Qi wireless charging technology
is controlled by the Wireless Power Consortium, which boasts 200-plus members including Samsung, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, HTC, Verizon Wireless, and others.
More than 80 different smartphones offer
support for Qi, which is currently the most used wireless charging
standard in the world. It works thanks to embedded magnetic coils that
generate a small electromagnetic field — smartphones and tablets that
support Qi then convert this field into energy to replenish the device’s
battery.
Ikea says it will launch this new
furniture line, which will include desks, lamps and bedside tables, in
North America and Europe in April.
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