SBIR Phase I: Long-Range, Millimeter-Wave, Wireless Power Beaming with Enhanced Efficiency

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to drive high-tech industry development in the Midwest region of the United States. This team develops and deploys wireless, power-beaming technologies for applications in both civilian and military contexts. The project explores wireless generation and distribution of mass energies through electromagnetic waves. The resulting technology spans applications from the wireless charging of vehicles to green energy distribution and solar power beaming. Immediate applications include long-distance flights of heavy-duty drones, which can be remotely charged from terrestrial power beaming stations. With the addition of relay drones, this technology may also establish a resilient airborne energy distribution network for military purposes. In the long term, the technology's scalability enables solar power beaming, a significant leap toward carbon-free green energy production. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses the fundamental limitations of existing wireless power-beaming technologies. Conventional methods suffer from poor efficiency and require large physical dimensions for Radio Frequency transmitters and receivers. These limitations have made a long-range power-beaming solution impractical. To overcome these obstacles, this project aims to develop a unique operational mode for wireless power-beaming technology: power beaming at the near-field zone using millimeter waves. This approach offers significant advantages, including improved efficiency, compact dimensions, outstanding long-range performance, and safe operation. By leveraging the extended near-field range of a transmitter operating at millimeter waves and utilizing an adaptively controllable collimated beam, the technology can significantly enhance power efficiency, allowing power to be transmitted over much greater distances. Furthermore, a uniquely devised frequency plan within the low-loss region of atmospheric transmission windows enhances the system's resilience in adverse weather conditions. The utilization of shorter wavelengths in the millimeter-wave spectrum enables substantial reductions in the size of transmitting and receiving systems. Precise control of the transmitter's focal point ensures a secure and reliable power-beaming connection between subsystems. This technology has the potential to revolutionize wireless power beaming, facilitating efficient transfer of high powers and unlocking capabilities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.