Samsung's SolarCell Remote could be the first remote control to be charged wirelessly through WiFi. The solar-powered Eco Remote of Samsung debuted at Consumer Electronics Show last year has been given a significant improvement for this year's CES 2022.
The SolarCell Remote is now Wi-Fi charging with the ability to gather Radio Frequency signals from a user's network to keep it charged.
Newly Improved Samsung SolarCell Remote
The solar-charging remote that Samsung exhibited at CES 2021 has received a major upgrade. In addition to using light to charge the battery, Samsung claims that the new Eco Remote can transform radio signals from routers into energy, allowing it to stay fully charged.
It's a good idea to use radio waves from routers to charge the batteries since that energy would otherwise be wasted. Over the last few years, various companies have tapped into radio frequency (RF) harvesting, although the technology appears to be best suited to low-power gadgets like TV remotes.
The back of the Samsung remote contains a solar panel. According to Engadget, the device also has dedicated buttons for streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. The remote is manufactured from recycled materials, in keeping with Samsung's commitment to environmental stewardship. While the Samsung SolarCell Remote Control was only available in black last year, its white version will be released this year to match Samsung's lifestyle TVs.
Samsung SolarCell Remote 2021
Samsung first introduced a more environmentally friendly remote control, the Samsung Solarcell Remote control in Consumer Electronics Show 2021. The Samsung remote control is enabled by solar charging which can be charged through indoor or outdoor light and by a conventional USB cable. In 2021, numerous Samsung TV models came with the Solar Cell Remote Control.
The remote is also environmentally beneficial, according to Samsung, as 24 percent of its 31 grams of plastic is manufactured from "recycled polyethylene terephthalate." As stated in Newshub, the solar-powered remote control will help reduce waste from an estimated 99 million AAA batteries over seven years, according to Samsung.
Collectively, consumers could help mitigate that by using rechargeable batteries in the first place, however, a solar-powered remote control would at least reduce reliance on them. Samsung has stated that it will expand environmentally friendly packaging in 2021.
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How Does Samsung SolarCell Remote Work?
As reported by TechRadar, the remote is stated to be Wi-Fi charging and does not require or even contain batteries. The remote doesn't require a charging base and uses a pair of wireless charging methods: solar and Radio Frequency energy harvesting. Which can continuously draw power from a user's router and, if it's placed face down, the solar panel on the back, consumes energy that allows charging through their end table lamp.
However, the sipped energy must be stored somewhere. According to Samsung, there is no lithium-ion battery in the remote although it does feature a capacitor.
A capacitor is a device that can store a little amount of energy. Unlike batteries, which use a chemical process, capacitors use a physical process similar to static electricity.
With the newly improved SolarCell remote control from Samsung, whether it's a bright and sunny day or the middle of the night, the remote's battery stays completely charged by absorbing routers' radio waves and converting them to electricity.
Furthermore, the company stated that it will be included with every Samsung QLED 4K and 8K TV sold in 2022.
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