Pull Power Right Out of the Air with This New Phone Case

Innovators from Nikola Labs recently spoke on stage at TechCrunch's Startup Alley, and unveiled a new iPhone case that could give your phone an extra 30 percent of power from seemingly nowhere.

"In the 1800s, Nikola Tesla pioneered the transmission of electricity over wires," co-founder Will Zell said on stage. "Shortly thereafter, Hertz proved that energy could be transmitted through the air. These two technologies have become the foundation of the consumer electronics industry that we both know and love today. But there remains a huge problem. We're using 19th century technology to power 21st century mobile devices."

The solution? A new phone case that converts radio frequencies into DC power. Appropriately, the team launched their first product, an iPhone 6 case, in the Manhattan Center, which is attached to the Hotel New Yorker, where Tesla lived out the last years of his life (he died in Room 3327). The case absorbs the 90 percent of wasted power expelled by the phone when it transmits a signal, and it puts it back in the phone. Nikola Lab says that this recycled energy can give the phone a boosted 30 percent in power.

There's no battery, so there's nothing to charge. The device passively uses the radio frequency energy already being produced by the phone.

Partnered with Ohio State University, Nikola Labs hopes to put out a product in the next year. From there, they hope to expand into other small gadgets like wearables and medical devices. A Kickstarter will be launched in the upcoming month, where the new case will be sold for around $99.

[h/t: TechCrunch.com]