POWER TOWER - Product Idea

ryandhazen 2019-02-11 17:12:50 UTC #1

So we got a new power tower at the college library I work in:

It plugs in and charges itself overnight, or whenever you leave it plugged in:

It has USB A and USB C PD outlets:

But it looks like the USB A outlets max out at 5V:

Even though the PD seems to work about right, providing to 45w (well, almost 44) my laptop is capable of:

Here's what I want to see: An ANKER battery robot, that will go home at night and charge itself (like the EUFY RoboVac), but it will come to you if you call it with an app. Imagine that! It would be like Uber, Robovoac, and Anker battery all combined! What if you could call a charging tower to your location with an app?! That would be awesome! Would you use something like this in a library, coffee shop, or airport? I would!

Also, it would need an AC outlet, which this particular tower does not have.

Jesse_Hernandez1 2019-02-11 17:35:39 UTC #2

ajsanders2004 2019-02-11 17:57:45 UTC #3

I like this idea.... why not make it fold laundry and do dishes too! seriously though this does seem like it could be a good product.

ryandhazen 2019-02-11 18:20:55 UTC #4

Careful you might get what you ask for

Ice1 2019-02-11 18:42:01 UTC #5

This is nice concept. However, I still wonder why not our devices get charged wireless, not like Qi, something like NFC but has a wider range.

ryandhazen 2019-02-11 18:49:14 UTC #6

I suspect that someone somewhere has tried this with disastrous results....

Ice1 2019-02-11 18:55:02 UTC #7

Not sure, that is just fiction. Even if it was true, every invention was like that, there is a way to tweak and fine tune to get the end results.

Jesse_Hernandez1 2019-02-11 19:41:11 UTC #8

@ryandhazen
Note to Power tower developers: remember to keep Power tower shorter than power lines

elmo41683 2019-02-11 19:45:59 UTC #9

Wireless charging has already been done.
Disney did it as did others

Achimel 2019-02-11 19:47:13 UTC #10

At the hospital things like these would always be handy too! We use computer on wheels, but there's not always enough of them to go around. A power tower with a table modification on top would be great to keep my laptop or a tablet charged.

ryandhazen 2019-02-11 20:23:05 UTC #11

WOAH That is nuts. But that room is not my idea of a nice place to hang out

Ice1 2019-02-11 20:24:03 UTC #12

Nice article, thanks for sharing. Wondering why it is not in works, must be too expensive.

ikari04warrior 2019-02-12 02:21:09 UTC #13

A big tall rolling power strip lol

fhassm 2019-02-12 08:58:24 UTC #14

If wireless charging, I like this one!

That's real charging!!!!

amangons 2019-02-12 11:08:13 UTC #15

I don't get it... Seriously, why?

It's not an extension lead, or a wall charger.

It's like a hat stand with usb outlets, but no good for hats, and no space to charge anything.... Oh yeah, one item can sit on top, instead of coffee

So it's a massive powerbank? The space it takes up, and I expect the cost of it, would be simpler to give each their own powerbank.

Now, the gert power thing by Anker (name escapes me at present), now that's portable power.

I'll stick to good old fashioned, plug into a wall charger at my volvo (an old name for workstation). I can have proper power delivery, and it's not restricting my work, by having a mobile hat stand next to me!

fhassm 2019-02-12 11:18:28 UTC #16

That is "design"
Ugly, but it is!

TechnicallyWell 2019-02-12 12:41:31 UTC #17

Very cool! I wonder if the batteries are just in the top portion, or if the extend down the length of the tower as well?

amangons 2019-02-12 13:54:42 UTC #18

It would need something near or.in the base for stability.

Ice1 2019-02-12 13:55:50 UTC #19

True, easy to tip over if you put heavy batteries on top section.

elmo41683 2019-02-12 14:41:57 UTC #20

I was in the hospital over the weekend and the nurses had something similar to this. I can tell you that in the one the hospital has the batteries are housed just below the center of the shaft, there is a regulator above that and at the bottom an additional weight for stability. I have to say I was glad they had one because they were able to charge my phone for me for the three days i was there.