TWIS: Imperial spin-out Bumblebee Power awarded project to advance wireless power transmission by UK Space Agency

Bumblebee Power, a spin-out from research in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering developing Inductive Wireless Power Transfer (IWPT), has been awarded a project in collaboration with space mission partner MDA Space to advance power transmission for applications in outer space.  

The project originated from the work of Professor Paul Mitcheson and Dr David Yates at the Wireless Power Lab in 2021, which was founded using £5 million in research funding. They develop efficient charging for electric vehicles (EVs) and e-mobility. Bumblebee’s core innovation relies on using high frequency waves to link devices much more powerfully than other contactless charging solutions: having worked with Pashley Cycles and Voi to build charging bays for the e-bike and e-scooter rental agencies respectively and NexBlue on EV chargers (of which 11,000 were installed during 2023-24), the team now focuses on space technology.  

Robots in space face restricted mobility and the danger of space debris (e.g. lunar dust and sandstorms on Mars). The project’s inception came from representatives of MDA Space, specializing in satellites and robotics, who recognized the potential of Mitcheson’s and Yates’ work to target wirelessly powering rovers and autonomous machines.