The MotherBox could deliver truly wireless charging, if it actually works

Truly wireless charging is a promise that technology companies have been making for years. “Wouldn’t it be nice,” they ask, “if your gadgets could charge without any wires?” Unfortunately, wireless charging today tends to still require direct physical contact to a charging pad or inductive charger — more convenient than a plug, to be sure, but not the magical, wireless future we were promised. 

The MotherBox is an Indiegogo project that claims to be able to deliver on that promise, by offering truly wireless charging. Yank Tech, the company behind the MotherBox, claims that the device can supply 2 watts of power to a smartphone 20 inches away. That charging rate improves as you get closer: between 15 inches and 10 inches, the MotherBox supplies 4W of power, between eight inches away to five inches gets you 8W, and connected devices within five inches charge at 10W.

There are a few catches, though. While the MotherBox charges devices wirelessly, the truncated icosahedron-shaped device itself needs to be plugged in (although the company is offering a smaller, portable battery pack version that doesn’t need constant power, at the expense of a far more limited range). Additionally, your phone will need a receiver attached back of your phone and plugged into the charging port to actually work with the MotherBox and receive power (althoughYank Tech promises to support Lightning, Micro USB, and USB-C). 

You’ll also have to be okay with displaying the MotherBox out on your nightstand, given that it looks something like a cross between a glowing, cybernetic soccer ball and Doctor Octopus’ tritium fusion reactor from Spider-Man 2 (the superhero resemblance is fitting, as the company notes that the MotherBox is named after the famous DC Comics MacGuffin).

That of course is assuming the MotherBox actually works. Yank Tech is making some big promises here, especially for a new company that’s crowdfunding its first hardware product. That said, if you’re willing to believe the promise that a truly wireless future is at hand, the MotherBox is available to back on Indiegogo for a $79 early-bird price. Yank Tech hopes to ship the first wave of products in September later this year. 

The article was published on : theverge