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Wireless-power–tech company NuCurrent has developed the first near-field-communication–powered headset-charging tech—which an HP company called Poly is using to make a new, fast-charging, lightweight, over-the-ear headset, NuCurrent CTO Alberto Peralta told EE Times today. NuCurrent’s NuSync solution is the highest power implementation of near-field-communication (NFC) charging tech to date, he added.
The Poly Voyager Surround 85 UC Bluetooth headset, designed for people working both in the office and from home, will sell for just under $500.
The design challenge for the headset: facilitate fast, seamless charging coupled with a lightweight headset so that users could easily wear the headset for the workday.
“To achieve four to five hours for charging, we needed to significantly increase the amount of power transmitted by the charging stand beyond what anyone had ever done in near-field communication,” Peralta said. “The goal also was for wireless charging to seem invisible.”
As part of that desired invisibility, the charging station has no pins, allowing for easy alignment, he said.
The NuSync system also requires no connections, Peralta added.
“Traditionally, devices like smart watches have relied on physical connectors to fulfill two fundamental needs: power delivery and data transfer,” he said. “To achieve a genuinely wireless ecosystem, it’s imperative that wireless solutions address both these requirements seamlessly, not just one or the other, which is what we’ve seen in devices until this point.”
The enhanced technology enables better communications for users and for updates, according to Peralta. “We’re not only transferring power, we’re transferring data. The two-way communication between the headphones and charging stand could allow for seamless firmware updates and for diagnostic information retrieval during charging.”
In 2021, NuCurrent developed a wearable, wireless-charging battery pack for the WHOOP 3.0 fitness tracker that receives power at 1.2 watts, Peralta said, adding that the next best performance from other companies is 300 milliwatts.
“The Poly headset design receives power at 1.8 watts,” he said. “That’s 50% more than what we had and six times more power from what anybody else had done.”
The headset weighs 275 grams, less than Apple’s AirPods Max headset, which weighs 384.5 grams. That lighter weight translates to more comfort for users. “One of the benefits of NuSync technology is that it offers more flexibility in industrial design, as we can see with this application. I use them all day, they’re super comfortable,” he said.
The headset offers clear audio, via a high-quality boomless microphone, and as many as 21 hours of talk time, according to the company.
This project was NuCurrent’s first using its electronic design automation (EDA) tools that employ AI and machine learning—and this innovation made it possible to finalize the design and get to market in a much shorter timeframe than previously experienced, Peralta said.
Potential use cases beyond this headset include wearable devices, such as smart watches, smart glasses and ear buds. Other possibilities include computer peripherals, such as wireless charging mice, and implantable medical devices, such as neuro-stimulators for chronic pain, pacemakers, cochlear implants and devices for treating sleep apnea, he said.
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