I-Corps: Smart Textile Charging Platform for Wearable and Portable Devices

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是在可穿戴设备市场。客户发现过程将提供关键数据，以确定医疗专业人员、患者、护士、急救人员和其他可能使用可穿戴设备的用户的无线充电需求。到2022年，可穿戴市场预计将达到580亿美元。具体来说，这项技术将影响病人和最边缘化的群体，如老年人和婴儿，通过为他们的穿戴设备提供无线充电。它还将允许军事/国防人员在其随身携带的通信设备和战术装备持续充电时保持值班。I-Corps项目将推进一种创新的可穿戴技术方法，将基于纺织品的射频（RF）模块和用于电力收集的天线相结合。智能充电平台通过新颖的天线拓扑和电源管理电路提供电力传输，适用于可穿戴设备、医疗设备和物联网（IoT）设备的充电需求。所提出的锚形天线为身体可穿戴充电解决方案提供了错位弹性电力传输。锚定天线和高效整流电路的结合提供了无缝的电力收集和传输方法，集成到表面（例如椅子，沙发，床上用品）的内饰中。该系统将为小工具、医疗或军事设备充电，并在日常生活活动中实现充电时的通信。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is in the wearable device market. The customer discovery process will provide critical data to determine the wireless charging needs for medical professionals, patients, nurses, first responders, and other users who may use wearable devices. The wearable market is expected to be $58B by 2022. Specifically, the technology will impact patients and the most marginalized groups such as the elderly and infants by providng wireless charging to their body-worn devices. It will also allow military/defense personnel to stay on duty while their body-worn communication devices and tactical gear are continuously charged. This I-Corps project will advance an innovative wearable technology approach combining textile-based radio-frequency (RF) modules and antennas for power harvesting. Implementation into a smart charging platform provides power transmission via novel antenna topology and power management circuitry suitable for the charging needs of wearable, medical, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The proposed anchor-shaped antenna allows misalignment-resilient power transfer for body wearable charging solutions. Combination of the anchor antenna and high efficiency rectifier circuit provides a seamless power collection and transmission method integrated into the upholstery of surfaces (e.g. chair, couch, bedding). This system will charge gadgets, medical, or military equipment and enable communication while charging through daily life activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.