alt Hacker News“They’re wirelessly charged, with a pad that can charge multiple bricks at a time.."
Did LEGO solve this problem and Apple didn’t? The Apple AirPower is what I’m referring to and it was a matter of physics that was the mighty hurdle Apple had to contend with. But they were also trying to pump out ~15w per device. These bricks will be measured in milliwatts per brick. But I’m curious if there is any additional information about this? How many bricks can be charged at a time? Can they be placed anywhere on the pad? (I hope so.) It would be great if specs were released. I would buy the pad alone just for charging other IoT devices.
https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/incoming/tech-news-apple-s-a...
Edit: It will not be usable by anything other than Lego Smart Bricks. It will use a proprietary or highly customized inductive standard designed specifically for the new Lego Smart Bricks.
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I don't know, but I wonder if the "pad" were not itself lego of some sort, so "anywhere on the pad" is vastly constrained? Totally spitballing here.
I would bet that the pad in question has LEGO studs on it that connect to a physical charging circuit to the bottom of the brick. They've had various motor bricks for a long time with similar connections.
Wireless charging for electronics has been a solved problem going back to my Palm Pixi. The problem is getting to the insane wattages and charging speeds people expect from their devices these days.
I'm sure these tiny, low wattage devices don't really pose a problem.