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SonicEnergy
Native name
uBeam
FormerlyuBeam
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryTechnology
Founded2012 in New York, New York United States
FounderMeredith Perry
Headquarters
Marina del Rey, California
,
USA
Key people
Products
  • Wireless power
  • Ultrasonic transceivers
  • Ultrasonic sensors
ServicesWireless power

SonicEnergy (previously uBeam) is a US company that claims to be developing a wireless charging system that works via ultrasound.

History

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SonicEnergy (previously uBeam) was founded in 2011 by Meredith Perry and won the University of Pennsylvania's invention competition, PennVention, in April 2011.[1] It demonstrated its first prototype of the technology at The Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital Conference, D9, in May 2011.[2][3]

uBeam received $26 million in investment from venture capitalists and investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Upfront Ventures, Founders Fund, Mark Cuban and Marissa Mayer.[4]

By 2016, all of uBeam's original engineering team had left the company, with some engineers leaving before their stocks had vested.[5]

Axios reported that uBeam privately demonstrated a working prototype of the technology at the Upfront Summit on February 2, 2017.[6] uBeam demonstrated wireless charging of several phones using an improved prototype such as the iPhone 7 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 phones simultaneously to USA Today.[7]

In September 2018, Meredith Perry stepped down from her role as CEO. She was replaced by Jacqueline McCauley as acting CEO.[8] In December 2018, McCauley was replaced by Simon McElrea as CEO who restructured the company under the name SonicEnergy;[9] Subsequent to this, McElrea stepped down as CEO in December 2019, and was replaced by Will Kain, formerly the company's CFO, as acting CEO. Will Kain stepped down as CEO in May 2021.

Technology

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In November 2015, uBeam released technical specifications for its proposed system. uBeam's system would transmit ultrasound at frequencies between 45 kHz and 75 kHz, with a sound intensity of 145 dB to 155 dB SPL, and it would use a phased array technique to direct the beam.[4]

Polarised beam polymer speakers can direct sound energy within the specified physical structure.

Controversies

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Some observers have been critical of the company's ultrasound technology, stating that uBeam's claims were unlikely to be achievable.[10] Critics have also cited problems such as the difficulty of achieving high efficiency in sound transfer, achieving an unobstructed path for the beam, and the high absorption of high frequency ultrasound in air.[11][12][13][14]

Australian electrical engineer and blogger Dave Jones has been a frequent critic of uBeam, stating it "will never be a practical solution",[15] and has offered detailed explanations on why "it will never work".[16]

In 2016, former uBeam engineering VP Paul Reynolds wrote a series of blog posts stating that uBeam’s technology did not work, saying that "While in theory [uBeam] may be possible in limited cases, the safety, efficiency, and economics of it mean it is not even remotely practical."[17][18] According to some former uBeam engineers, the technology would at best be able to supply a "trickle charge" to a cell phone, transmitting a few watts of power over one or two meters.[19]

Ultrasound safety

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Ultrasound energy has the potential to produce biological effects on the body, such as heating the tissues slightly. In some cases, it can also produce small pockets of gas in body fluids or tissues (cavitation).[20] OSHA, citing a 2001 UK report, noted that hearing risk from exposure to very high frequency noise remained unquantified.[21]

uBeam claimed that the beam will cut out automatically if it is intercepted by objects other than the receiver.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Team with wireless charger". www.bizjournals.com. 2011. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  2. ^ "D9 Video: uBeam Demo". Wsj.com. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via www.wsj.com.
  3. ^ "New technology beams power over sound waves". 3 June 2011.
  4. ^ a b Constine, Josh (7 November 2015). "uBeam Declassifies Secrets To Try To Prove Wireless Power Is Possible". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  5. ^ "The hype around wireless-charging startup uBeam got way ahead of reality, say former engineers". Business Insider.
  6. ^ "uBeam finally shows off its wireless charging tech". Axios.com. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  7. ^ "uBeam's Meredith Perry shows her stealth wireless charging technology really works". Usatoday.com. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Exclusive: Ubeam CEO Meredith Perry steps down". Axios. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  9. ^ "UBeam names new CEO". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  10. ^ Gomes, Lee (11 November 2015). "Experts Still Think uBeam's Through-the-Air Charging Tech Is Unlikely". IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Skeptics Zap Wireless Charging | Los Angeles Business Journal". labusinessjournal.com. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  12. ^ Gomes, Lee (9 November 2015). "Can uBeam's Through-the-Air Phone Charging System Live Up to the Hype?". IEEE. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  13. ^ Dale, Brady (9 November 2015). "Wireless Charging: uBeam's Headache and Nausea Question". Observer. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  14. ^ "uBeam FAQ". eevblog. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  15. ^ "EEVblog #1001 – uBeam Ultrasonic Wireless Charging DEBUNKED".
  16. ^ "EEVblog #1224 – uBeam is Sinking!".
  17. ^ "UBeam wireless power's CEO Meredith Perry steps aside amidst B2B pivot". 20 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Ex-employee claims wireless charging start-up uBeam is a sham: Report". CNBC. 12 May 2016.
  19. ^ Gomes, Lee (13 May 2016). "Engineer and Investor in Spat About Wireless Charging Startup uBeam". IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  20. ^ Health, Center for Devices and Radiological. "Medical Imaging - Ultrasound Imaging". Fda.gov. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  21. ^ "OSHA Technical Manual (OTM) | Section III: Chapter 5 - Noise". Osha.gov. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2023-12-11. The report concludes: There is not sufficient data in the literature to support, or even contemplate, a dose response relation between occupational exposure to VHF noise and resultant hearing risk. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  22. ^ Constine, Josh (October 8, 2015). "uBeam Finally Reveals The Secret Of How Its Wireless Charging Phone Case Works Safely". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
[edit]
  • https://sonicenergy.com (usurped site, Archived May 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine)
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