A former music producer at gospel artist Kevin Kioko's (Bahati) EMB Records studio has innovated an advanced wireless charger which he hopes will be replicated in the technology and industrial fields.
Geoffrey Mutuku, a former student at Kenyatta University, was an employee at the record label before Bahati shut it down in April 2020.
Mutuku was among those who were rendered jobless. However, the music graduate who has a passion for electrical engineering and technology decided to spend his time thinking of how to advance the existing wireless chargers.
Wireless charging works by transferring energy from the charger to a receiver in the back of the phone via electromagnetic induction.
The charger uses an induction coil to create an alternating electromagnetic field, which the receiver coil in the phone converts back into electricity to be fed into the battery.
"There is this gadget that I have come up with known as a Y charger, a wireless mobile charger. This is different from the normal wireless chargers which require one to place it face up on a special mat or tabletop.
"A wireless charger should be one that allows you to move away from the charger while using your phone. My gadget allows you to be away from the charger by 8-9 metres," Mutuku stated in an interview with NTV on Saturday, June 13.
His charger encompasses a transmitter that is plugged into an extension cable and a receiver plugged into a phone. The receiver has a switch on and off button which controls charging. However, the transmitter has the main control button.
Mutuku disclosed that he based his idea on two principles, magnet induction and radio frequencies. Radio frequencies transmit power from the transmitter to the receiver, while magnet induction converts the power.
"My dream is to prove that the phone can be charged away from the phone. Innovation change and are always improved daily because we are not limited to thinking.
"Engineers are paid million to invent this gadget and I have never seen one apart from the ones whereby phones are plugged into a tabletop.
"I will be glad if this idea will be embraced to help millions of people. We can set up transmitters in Nairobi and you can charge your phone as long as you have a receiver," Mutuku stated.
Companies such as Samsung and Apple innovated wireless chargers, which use a tabletop, used to charge Samsung Galaxy S8 and iPhone X respectively. Nokia also adopted the program in 2012.
Video: NTV
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