The idea arose from a personal need: Felix Krewerth was looking for a wireless charger for two smartphones for his bedside table. Since he couldn't find anything suitable, he decided to team up with Christoph Martinetz to design and build chargers according to their own specifications. Neither the design nor the materials used in the devices available on the market appealed to Krewerth, who is completing his master's degree in industrial engineering at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), or Martinetz, who is pursuing his doctorate at RUB's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. 

It took 50 prototypes before their wireless chargers, inductive chargers, took their final form. In 2018, Krewerth and Martinetz founded the start-up ChargAire® in Bochum-Hamme. Just one month later, they received the Special Urban Production Award from the Bochum start-up competition Senkrechtstarter for their urban production approach – the materials come mainly from the region – and for their sustainable design. Each device is handmade in the Ruhr area from wood, leather or stainless steel, as desired. Only natural oils based on linseed oil are used, and leather finishes are tanned with environmentally friendly plant extracts. With 10W fast charging, the ChargAire® One charges a smartphone up to twice as fast as a standard wired charger (5W). The ChargAire® Two does this for two devices. The smartphone can be intuitively placed in the correct position and the charging process starts immediately. All components can be repaired as they are screwed together and not glued. If, for example, the wireless charging standard changes, a technical update can be carried out by simply replacing the circuit board, thereby reducing electronic waste.

www.chargaire.com

(Published in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 02|20)