Redwood City, Calif., Nov. 14, 2024 – Reach Power (Reach), the leader in Wireless Power-at-a-Distance, announced the completion of a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Future Force Energy Campaign contract focused on developing the world’s first wireless power transfer (WPT) energy relay nodes. Relay technology enhances the scalability and range of WPT power beaming, enabling new applications by extending power around barriers and over greater distances.
The project culminated in a live demonstration at Reach headquarters in Redwood City, California in front of more than 40 government and industry partners. The two-part demo used a Reach transmitter sending power to the wireless power relay and on to a Reach receiver powering an electronic device, marking the first successful routing of a radio frequency (RF) power beam through multiple segments via relay.
A mesh network consists of a multitude of devices working together to extend signal range and power levels. To successfully enable a wireless power mesh network, relay nodes act as power repeaters. In this case, the transmitter emits an RF power beam aimed at a relay, which extends the beam further than a transmitter alone. A key advantage of the Reach approach is that it refocuses and redirects the beam over distance, without converting it to direct current (DC) and back to RF, greatly enhancing system efficiency.
Two World First Demos
The goal of the contract was to build two types of relays: a passive power relay node (PRN) and an active power mesh node (PMN).
Passive Wireless Power Relay
The first demo showcased Reach’s passive relay node, which refocuses a wireless power beam to extend the transmission distance and efficiency of the beam. In the demo, Reach illuminated a light board. Using a unique configuration of metasurface circuit boards, this relay extends a transmitter’s range without additional electronics, making it inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
Active Wireless Power Relay
The second demo featured Reach’s active power relay node. This relay node actively reflects an incoming power beam in a software-driven direction. Operating in two modes—reflect and rectify—the active relay node dynamically reflects and absorbs a chosen amount of the power beam. This capability allows the node to reconfigure and redirect power beams based on network requirements with no moving parts. The active relay node software is scalable to larger systems and more expansive mesh networks.
“This work represents a significant step forward in the development of a true wireless energy web network,” said Chris Davlantes, Founder and CEO of Reach. “Power mesh and relay nodes offer a unique solution to the challenges of sending power wirelessly over long distances.”
This lightweight, efficient wireless power relay node can connect to existing power sources offering high usability across many environments: disaster recovery, energy and utilities, manufacturing, shipping, transportation, defense, and intelligence. Reach is committed to advancing power beaming relay nodes and mesh networks, improving RF performance, and scaling the system to larger sizes, distances and powers.
The successful contract completion by Reach is a major advancement in WPT networks, increasing their flexibility and agility for use in remote, austere, or infrastructure-degraded environments.
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The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
About Reach
Reach is the industry leader in Wireless Power-at-a-Distance. Reach’s wireless power beaming changes electric power delivery in the same way that Wi-Fi changed data delivery. The system is built on state-of-the-art, patented technology, including high-efficiency power beaming circuitry, network optimization algorithms, and adaptive electromagnetic surfaces, delivering a highly scalable, safe, and easy-to-use power platform. Ideally suited for government, public safety, manufacturing and logistics, the Reach solution provides flexible access to power where and when needed, streamlining device deployment, and improving device performance.
Learn more at www.reachpower.com
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