Proton New Energy Future is a Spanish startup that has introduced Ebörd – a smart table that has a wireless charger incorporated into its entire surface. Ebörd is capable of charging multiple devices simultaneously and can harvest the sun’s energy. That’s not all though; Proton New Energy Future claims that Ebörd can even use the artificial light for providing power to your devices.
Ebörd features a metal frame with a dark glass top and has over 50 coils under its surface, thus allowing users to charge up to four devices anywhere on its surface. It makes use of the Qi charging platform, thus rendering it compatible with the last few generations of iPhones and Samsung Galaxies while also providing support to Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL. For devices that don’t support Qi charging, the table comes with two adapters.
Ebörd doesn’t need to be plugged into a wall outlet itself. The surface of the table is photovoltaic and has a thin film panel that enables it to soak up sunlight and store it in a 10 Ah battery. The company also claims that it has the patent for the membrane that has been developed using a protein from marine bacteria. According to the company, this membrane enhances the performance of the solar modules by 60% in low-light conditions.
The company claims that the Ebörd is capable of absorbing artificial light; however, we wouldn’t be too sure about the performance. In order to make sure that the device can also double up as a conventional table, Ebörd is waterproof and is available in two premium models as well; one offers an LED lighting system whereas the other one offers a Bluetooth surround sound speaker system.
As of right now, Proton is running a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo where it has already crossed its goal of $20,000. You can pledge $450 for the basic table or $570 for the premium versions. The pledges are 40% less than the retail price that the company has planned. If all goes according to plan, shipping will commence in November.
