First Commercial Kitchen Available with Wireless Power

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- URBANEER, a small space living pioneer, today announced it is partnering with the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) to develop the first commercially available wireless kitchen. This working kitchen will be on display at the WPC booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center, booth # SL2, during the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show being held here, in Las Vegas. 

Studies suggest that the kitchen is the most trafficked and important area in many people’s homes and technology has pervaded nearly every aspect of our lives: 95% of American adults now own a cell phone (77% of those are smartphones), and smart home technology is projected to be a $53.45 billion global market by 2022. Despite these facts, technology’s impact on kitchen design and functionality has been superficial at best until now.

“Working with the WPC, we wanted to design a kitchen that offered more than a convenient place to charge your phone,” offered Bruce Thompson, founder and president of URBANEER.  “We wanted to do a wholesale rethinking of kitchen design where technology was integrated into the hardware as well as the user experience.”

The centerpiece of the kitchen is its counters that feature built-in wireless power.  Using the Qi standard, consumers will be able to enjoy the convenience of wireless charging for mobile devices including Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone X, the Samsung Galaxy S8, and many other leading smartphones.  The built-in wireless charging will also enable consumers to charge laptops and wirelessly power kitchen appliances such as blenders, multi-use cookers, coffee makers and toasters directly from the countertop.

“Wireless charging is moving beyond consumer handheld devices to other applications including laptops, tablets, drones, robots, connected cars and the kitchen of tomorrow,” stated Paul Golden, Vice President of Market Development for the WPC. “We’re excited to showcase a wirelessly powered kitchen with URBANEER and highlight one of the many new developments with wireless charging.”

URBANEER products enable any space to perform far beyond what it could using conventional furnishings. The company provides connected home systems integration and innovative space products including movable walls, wall beds, height adjustable islands, millwork and storage as well as compact, innovative kitchens. URBANEER’s kitchen of the future features powered countertops so that kitchen appliances can be brought out as needed, freeing up counter space for alternative use. The multipurpose kitchen island table with built in wireless charging can be rotated to expand the kitchen workspace or used as a freestanding table. 

To see the kitchen, visit the WPC booth # SL2.

About Wireless Power Consortium

Established in 2008, the Wireless Power Consortium is an open, collaborative standards development group of more than 350 company members based in approximately 23 countries. WPC’s members include leading brands such as Apple, ASUS, Belkin, Bosch, Canon, ConvenientPower, Dell, Delphi, Google, Haier, HTC, IKEA, LG, Motorola, mophie, NXP, Panasonic, Royal Philips, Samsung, Sony, TDK, Texas Instruments, Verizon Wireless and many more.

These companies -- large and small competitors and ecosystem partners, from all parts of the industry and all parts of the globe -- collaborate for a single purpose: to design and evolve the world’s most useful, safe and efficient standard for wireless power. For more information, visit www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com.

About URBANEER

URBANEER was founded to transform the way homes are designed, built, and managed. Focused on the multi-unit housing industry, the company’s suite of intelligent home furnishings leverages innovation and technology to create multifunctional spaces that offer maximum flexibility of use. By using prefabricated components, wall systems, and multipurpose furnishings, URBANEER has made construction more efficient, resulting in reduced spatial needs and associated real estate costs. For more information visit our site at www.urbaneerspaces.com.

Media contact:
Mara Stefan, Emerge PR
mstefan@emergepr.com 
Mobile: 781-771-6911