The real driver of change has been the need to reduce manual intervention and lower operational costs. When a robot can charge itself safely and autonomously, maintenance downtime drops dramatically, and so does total cost of ownership.
The Future of Autonomous and Wireless Charging
Q&A with Ben Waters, CEO and co-founder | WiBotic
Tell us about yourself and your role with WiBotic.
I’m Ben Waters, CEO and co-founder of WiBotic. Our mission is to help organizations maximize the uptime and efficiency of robotic and autonomous systems through safe, easy-to-integrate wireless power solutions. My role involves steering the company’s technology and partnerships to make wireless charging not just a convenience, but a fundamental enabler of autonomy. I’m a technical co-founder having started the company after I completed my PhD at the University of Washington where I researched wireless power technologies. At WiBotic, we’ve always believed that reliable power delivery is the foundation of any truly autonomous operation — and our goal is to make that as seamless as possible for every customer and partner.
Wireless charging seems to be universally adopted as the future for many battery-powered applications (including EVs). When it comes to robotics, it would seem like a no-brainer to eliminate human intervention from the workflow by implementing automated charging solutions. Have you found the industry embracing this change or meeting it with some resistance and why?
We’re seeing a strong shift toward adoption — but it’s happening in phases. The robotics industry has traditionally used contact-based charging solutions, where robots physically make contact with a charging station or a worker manually plugs or swaps the battery. What’s changing now is the realization that the ROI and safety benefits of wireless charging far outweigh the perceived complexity. Once companies see that, resistance turns into enthusiasm. The real driver of change has been the need to reduce manual intervention and lower operational costs. When a robot can charge itself safely and autonomously, maintenance downtime drops dramatically, and so does total cost of ownership.
Can you share a use case where you have integrated a WiBotic wireless charging system and the time and labor saved?
A great example comes from an automotive manufacturing application where the customer is running a large fleet of mobile robots. Before integrating WiBotic, each robot had to be manually plugged in for charging — a process that took several minutes per unit and required dedicated staff during off-shifts.
By integrating our wireless power system, they achieved 24/7 automated charging, eliminating manual charging entirely. The result was a 20–30% increase in fleet uptime and thousands of hours in annual labor savings. Because WiBotic’s technology integrates through simple communication protocols, they didn’t have to re-engineer their robots — it was truly a plug-and-play adoption that paid off quickly.
It’s no secret that AI is en vogue in 2025, but it seems like there is a struggle in implementing it into hardware in a useful way. Customers want the products they buy to be smarter and anticipate their needs. How has this effected how you approach building products?
AI has raised the bar for autonomy and system intelligence. We’re using data and AI to make power systems predictive rather than reactive. Our chargers communicate with fleets to monitor battery health, usage patterns, and environmental conditions — allowing robots to anticipate when and where they’ll need power instead of simply reacting when batteries get low.
The key for us is simplicity and interoperability. We don’t want customers to overhaul their systems to access these smart features. Instead, our focus is on building highly reliable hardware to perform the charging, and adding software intelligence that integrates easily into existing fleet management platforms. That’s how we deliver smarter systems that remain practical and accessible.
Keeping smarter products in mind, all that extra processing must have significant power demands. Especially with the spotlight on humanoids, which require a significant amount of power just to be idle. Do you believe the focus should be on designing a system with efficiency in mind or raw power output?
It’s really about balancing efficiency and scalability. Efficiency drives longer runtime and reduces total cost of ownership, but scalability — having a system that can deliver higher power safely and reliably — is equally important as robots become more capable.
We are designing our systems to provide high-power delivery while reducing the overall power consumption and efficiency of the fleet, so robots can access chargers quicker and recharge faster without adding thermal or electrical risk. Our modular architecture allows the same wireless charging infrastructure to serve both small drones and power-hungry humanoids. That flexibility helps our partners focus on innovation rather than infrastructure limitations.
There has always been a focus on how to keep human counterparts safe when operating alongside robots and other automated systems. Wireless charging has been touted as a solution to reduce workplace safety incidents. Are there hidden risks with having a person plug in a robot manually? What about swapping the batteries?
Absolutely! Manual charging introduces several safety risks that often go overlooked. Plugging in a high-current charger, especially in environments with moving equipment or moisture, can expose workers to electrical hazards and repetitive strain injuries. Swapping heavy batteries also carries ergonomic risks and can damage equipment if done incorrectly.
Wireless charging eliminates those touchpoints entirely. WiBotic’s systems use fully sealed connectors, smart communication protocols, and built-in safety interlocks to ensure charging only occurs when it’s safe. The result is a safer, cleaner workspace and fewer unplanned interruptions due to human error.
Look into the future a few years, what do you envision a modern factory floor with mobile robots looks and operates like related to wireless charging and how do we get there?
The factory floor of the near future will be seamlessly autonomous. Robots will move continuously — not on a “work, then charge” cycle, but on opportunity-based charging, where they top up their batteries during natural pauses in operation. Power will be available everywhere they need it, built into floors, walls, or docking stations — much like Wi-Fi is today.
To get there, the industry needs standardized, easy-to-adopt charging systems that don’t lock customers into one automation vendor or robotics platform. We want to help drive that shift by offering open, partner-friendly solutions that integrate with a wide range of robots and batteries. By working closely with OEMs and integrators, we’re making wireless power infrastructure as universal and effortless as connectivity.
Ben Waters is the CEO and co-founder of WiBotic, a company that develops wireless charging solutions and fleet-wide battery management software for industrial mobile platforms of all shapes and sizes. Their mission is to energize businesses with autonomous systems to grow and scale without limitation, while creating a workplace filled with brilliant people who are passionate about leadership. Ben has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, where he worked on wireless power technologies for implanted devices and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and physics from Columbia.
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of RoboticsTomorrow
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